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A Colorado woman has been accused of targeting elderly men she met at the grocery store in a fraud scheme, with investigators now estimating she cashed in on hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Priscilla Johnson, 33, pleaded guilty to theft and criminal exploitation of an at-risk elder after scamming an elderly man out of $40,000.
asserted
Johnson → sign → 40,000
She was ordered to return the money and received a deferred sentence, according to the Arapahoe County District Attorney's Office.
uncertain
She → order → Office
Investigators have now launched a second case against Johnson, alleging that her scams were systemic, with multiple elderly victims totaling nearly half a million dollars.
asserted
victims → launch → dollars
She allegedly would tell her victims that her fiancé died, she was down on her luck and out of cash.
uncertain
she → tell → cash
Johnson was found guilty of defrauding a man she met at the King Soopers grocery store last summer in Centennial, a Denver suburb.
asserted
she → find → Centennial
The son of 90-year-old Emet 'Allan' Moran first alerted authorities to the scam last September.
asserted
son → alert → scam
She told the man that her name was Elizabeth Johnson and that she had recently fallen on hard times, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Daily Mail.
uncertain
she → tell → Mail
Johnson strung a story about how her car had been broken into and her work equipment for her job as a makeup artist was stolen, totaling a whopping $6,000.
Priscilla Johnson, 33, pleaded guilty to charges of theft and criminal exploitation of an at-risk elder after scamming an elderly man out of $40,000.
asserted
Johnson → string → 40,000
She now faces additional charges after investigators found evidence that she launched the scheme multiple times
Richard Wadleigh told CBS News that he also met Johnson at the grocery store and she allegedly gave a similar sob story
A week later, Johnson said she needed $38,000 because she had cancer and needed a kidney transplant.
Moran told police that he withdrew $34,000 in cash.
uncertain
he → face → cash
He said he believed they were in love, and investigators showed messages in which the two said they loved one another.
asserted
they → say → one
He then told his son about the situation, and his son advised him to stop speaking with Johnson and giving her money.
asserted
son → tell → money
'She had definitely worked him a lot of different ways to try and make him feel very comfortable,' the victim's son told CBS News.
asserted
son → work → News
'She made him feel like he was maybe even a romantic involvement.'
asserted
he → make → ?
He added that Johnson's request for cash to pay her doctor was what tipped off his suspicions.
asserted
what → add → suspicions
'My wife and I both looked at each other and we realized that there was something going on,' he added.
asserted
he → look → other
Investigators agreed that Johnson was likely a scam artist and arrested her once again this year on new charges, alleging that multiple elderly men experienced similar treatment.
asserted
men → agree → treatment
She has been charged with two counts of crimes against at-risk individuals, theft and forgery.
asserted
She → charge → individuals
While investigating Moran's case, Officer Penny McLean found evidence on Johnson's phone that she allegedly scammed at least two other individuals, according to a second criminal complaint.
uncertain
she → investigate → complaint
Two men told police that Johnson had approached them at the King Soopers grocery store last summer
Richard Wadleigh, 80, told police he met Johnson in the King Soopers parking lot.
asserted
he → tell → lot
She allegedly said she needed a friend and later called him to ask to meet for breakfast.
uncertain
she → say → breakfast
She allegedly told Wadleigh that she left Arizona with her two children after her fiancé was killed in an automobile accident.
uncertain
fiancé → tell → accident
Wadleigh allegedly gave Johnson $8,000 after she said her phone and makeup kit were stolen from her sister's vehicle and the two needed it for their cosmetology business.
uncertain
two → give → business
'Everything she told me was a lie,' Wadleigh told CBS.
asserted
Wadleigh → tell → CBS
Mike Hansen, 61, told police that Johnson allegedly posed as another woman asking him to invest in her gold business.
uncertain
Johnson → tell → business
He told police he invested $100 and made a profit, then gave an additional payment of $100,000.
asserted
he → tell → 100,000
Hansen said he continued to invest until he was out $450,000, according to the complaint.
uncertain
he → say → complaint
The other two men police believed were involved in the scam denied having any contact with Johnson.
asserted
police → believe → Johnson
The second criminal case against Johnson is still pending.
asserted
case → pende → Johnson
She has not entered a plea to the new charges, and her attorney's information was not immediately available.
asserted
information → enter → charges
Her next hearing is scheduled for November 3.
asserted
hearing → schedule → November
The Aporia
