(WSVN) – A South Florida woman convicted in a rental home scam has wound up behind bars again. Police have now linked her to a crime involving a retiree from Kentucky. 7’s Kevin Ozebek investigates.
Hearing an elderly loved one has become a victim of a crime can make anyone angry. When 7News first met Shannon King last year, she was furious. She says thousands of dollars were stolen from her 77-year-old father.
Shannon King: “It’s terrible.”
Shannon’s father, James Malone, was spending his retirement years in Pompano Beach.
Last summer, she says, he befriended a woman named Britnee, and he kept talking about how he needed to help her.
Shannon King: “He was saying we had to go help somebody and give them money.”
In June of 2020, Shannon’s father suffered a debilitating stroke. She flew down to take care of him.
But when she checked his bank account, she came across some strange transactions.
Shannon King: “He started to write a lot of checks for ‘cash.’”
Some of those checks were written while her father was in the hospital. Due to COVID restrictions, Shannon was the only one allowed to visit him.
She asked him about the checks, and about a brand-new American Express card. It was issued to “Britnee Theiss” under his account.
Shannon King: “He said he has given her no authority and no permission to do anything with any of his belongings.”
Shannon went to the Broward Sheriff’s Office. She also went online to learn more about Britnee…
