EL PASO COUNTY – Deputies arrested a married couple from the Security-Widefield area after allegedly financially exploiting a 91-year-old victim for nearly $180,000.
The couple, 64-year-old Herbert Meadows and 52-year-old Cynthia Meadows, were arrested Wednesday. They are accused of emptying a 91-year-old victim’s bank account to pay their credit card bills and several failed business endeavors, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
Herbert is accused of opening a number of credit cards in the victim’s name and accumulating balances of thousands of dollars, deputies said. In most of these types of cases, the perpetrator is someone the victim knows.
The sheriff’s office is encouraging all people to monitor financial activity of their elderly loved ones by having checks and balances in place to prevent fraud and exploitation. People are encouraged to assist their elderly family members in monitoring credit history and reporting any suspicious activity to police.
Elderly victims are often unaware their financial situation has been compromised, especially if it was a family member who committed the crime, deputies said.
The investigation into the identity theft aspect of the case will continue as more criminal charges are pending. The Sheriff’s Office Financial Crimes Unit and El Paso County Adult Protective Services are assisting in the investigation.
