I have a friend who investigates Medicare fraud for the feds. You know, bogus medical equipment cases in south Florida and what-not. “Reality is that we only have the resources to go after the worst 10-percent of offenders,” he said. “If you are not greedy, you can get away with it for a long time.”
He might as well have been talking about city, county and state law enforcement. I have a case right now where a lady gangster is stealing thousands from several different men but is so adept at covering her tracks and muddying situations that there is no concentrated effort to prosecute her. Law enforcement has limited resources, not just monetary but more so in terms of the lack of personnel. Fraud investigations such as identify theft, bad checks and other financial crimes take time and energy. And if the losses don’t approach millions or victims are not exclusively elderly, then they are not necessarily a high priority. (I have found local law enforcement to take financial crimes against the elderly quite seriously.)
She drives a Mercedes C class SUV and rocks Gucci purses. Oh, she talked one of the men into leasing her the Mercedes because she did not have proper documentation to lease or buy such a luxurious ride. Her method is usually as follows:
She starts a sexual or romantic relationship with the men, most of whom are older. She comes across as educated, wealthy and successful. She got into the country through a marriage to an older man but is apparently still here without proper legal status. She talks them into various investments. She might move in with them. She assumes different identities with different Social Security Numbers.
When she senses trouble and pressure, she will seek restraining orders against the men. She does not do all of her crimes in the same jurisdiction but pursues her craft in San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa counties. So when a local police department starts to pursue her, her side of the story is that she is a victim. Right or wrong, many of the police departments tell the victims that it’s a “civil matter” and that a criminal case is not the proper forum. So she has been arrested a few times but never prosecuted. One victim got the courts to evict her from his house but before she could finally be thrown out she had a moving van take the man’s household goods and other items.
Police might take reports and investigate but prosecutors want solid cases not murky ones. She might hit a rough patch or two but is an artful dodger avoiding significant convictions or penalties. By rotating jurisdictions and creating the illusion of true romantic relationships she derails criminal investigations and prosecutions. She knows how to game the system. She does not have a valid California driver’s license but has committed a couple of hit-and-runs without eyewitnesses. When police stop her, they just give her another citation for driving without a license.
She will write bad checks to these men from various accounts, under different names, and then try to take cash out of the accounts. She apparently likes to text photos of large amounts of cash in her possession, as if she is bragging about her scores. In terms of real assets, such as property, she doesn’t own anything. So going after her in a lawsuit is not that great of an option either.
She plays the game and she plays it very well.
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