Two charged with conning grandmother
An elderly East Finley Township woman is out of almost $80,000 after she was allegedly conned out of the cash by her granddaughter and granddaughter’s boyfriend.
Herbert Lee Bell, 31, whose last known address was Hopewell Junction, N.Y., was taken into custody and arraigned Thursday night before District Judge Curtis Thompson on a charge of theft by deception through false impression.
State police said in February 2012, Bell and Diandria Chebar Ridgley, 28, showed Ridgley’s grandmother fraudulent paperwork indicating they would be receiving a substantial insurance settlement. The settlement was to be collateral for repayment of a loan they needed.
The two reportedly showed the grandmother documentation that indicated they were to receive a $600,000 insurance settlement, but said it would be a few weeks before they would get any money and they needed some money in the interim.
Between that time and June 12, 2013, the two reportedly showed the grandmother different documents indicating various reasons for the delay in payment. At one point, they even gave the grandmother a check for $600,000.
The theft was reported to state police by the woman Nov. 25. She told police she gave the two a total of $78,493 on 25 different occasions over the 16-month period.
Bell was placed in Washington County jail on $50,000. A preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 18 before District Judge Ethan Ward.
Police also obtained a warrant for Ridgley’s arrest on a charge of theft by deception through false impression. She is also wanted by state police on two other outstanding warrants. Ridgley is charged in one case with theft, identity theft and altering an access device stemming from an April 5 incident in East Finley. She is also wanted on several charges of access device fraud and one count of theft stemming from a July 5 incident, also in East Finley.