Lawyer, Wife Held in Deportation Ploy

A lawyer and his wife have been arrested on suspicion of intimidating a wealthy old woman into handing over her entire fortune out of fear of being deported, the Frankfurt public prosecutor said Friday.

The prosecutor said the woman, 80, who was not named, gave the couple three million marks ($1.5 million) after they convinced her that she was in danger of being expelled to a part of Poland where she was born, formerly German territory.

The couple, suspected of deception, breach of trust and wrongful deprivation of personal liberty, had offered in return to set her up in Cannes on the French Riviera where she would be out of danger, and to send her a regular allowance.

But the woman, who owns four houses, was so alarmed by the deportation threat that she fled. Proceedings against the lawyer, 68, and his wife, 62, also not named, were opened a few weeks ago after she got in touch with relatives.