SEATTLE (AP) - A Seattle man who stole tens of thousands of dollars from a woman in her 70s while she was dying in a hospital was sentenced Tuesday to more than five years in prison, federal prosecutors said.
Dwayne Brooks, 38, was convicted of 10 felony charges after a four-day trial in February 2020. The charges included bank fraud, computer hacking and identity theft, Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman said in a press release.
“This defendant is a financial predator who ruthlessly exploited anyone he could, including the elderly, infirm, or even medically incapacitated,” Gorman said. “He was relentless in his efforts to open credit accounts, cash stolen checks, and steal from bank and retirement accounts. His victims are still sorting out the damage he did to their financial lives.”
Between 2016 and 2018, Brooks used debit and credit cards, checks and other financial information stolen from mail, cars and homes, according to court records and testimony.
One of the victims, a 78-year-old woman, died in the hospital while Brooks was looting her accounts, Gorman said. Another victim, an 84-year-old woman, is still trying to untangle the fraud against her accounts, Gorman said.
In all, Brooks’ fraud exceeds $120,000. U.S. District Judge James Robart ordered restitution of $128,802.
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