O.C. Woman Is Held in Swindle of Blind Retiree

A woman who cares for 20 retirees has been arrested on suspicion of stealing $118,000 from a blind woman in what Orange County authorities said Thursday is part of a crackdown on people who prey on the elderly.

Lanna Reynosa, 47, was arrested at her Lake Forest condominium Wednesday on suspicion of swindling 86-year-old Mildred Cobbledick, a retired Los Angeles schoolteacher suffering from cancer and heart ailments.

Investigators said Reynosa used the money to pay for trips to Hawaii and to make a $30,000 down payment on the condominium.

Authorities said Reynosa has been caring for at least 20 retirees, some of them disabled and many of them residents of Leisure World, the sprawling retirement community here. They are investigating whether she may have stolen money from any of the others.

Authorities said the suspect, who is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail, is among a crop of con artists and swindlers who target residents of Leisure World and other retirement communities, walking away with millions of dollars every year.

The Sheriff’s Department described Reynosa’s actions as a “classic example” of elder abuse. In a strongly worded statement, sheriff’s officials said the department is investigating five other cases involving alleged swindling of the elderly. The department warned that it would “vigorously investigate and prosecute those persons responsible for victimizing our elderly citizens in such a cold and heartless manner.”

Reynosa has been convicted twice in the last eight years of stealing from elderly people in Leisure World, a retirement community of 22,000. She was sentenced to probation for those offenses, Reynosa and law enforcement officials said.

In a jailhouse interview Thursday, the mother of three admitted to stealing from Cobbledick, now a resident of the Palm Terrace retirement home, and begged for forgiveness.

“It was an awful mistake,” a tearful Reynosa said. “I hope she forgives me; she has always been a wonderful lady.”

Of Reynosa’s plea, Cobbledick said: “She can have her forgiveness, but I prefer to have my money back. She left me penniless.”

Orange County sheriff’s investigator Cliff Deller called it “the perfect crime of opportunity. . . . In the suspect’s eyes, the victim was ripe for the picking. She took advantage of her trust and ripped her off in a cold and heartless manner.”

Deller said the siphoning of funds from Cobbledick’s bank account was only discovered last month. Cobbledick said she hired Reynosa in early 1991 after her eyesight deteriorated to the point that she could no longer manage her financial affairs.

Cobbledick retired after teaching in the Los Angeles Unified School District for 40 years and moved to Leisure World in 1969. She transferred to the nearby Palm Terrace board-and-care home a few years ago after suffering a series of strokes and undergoing cancer surgery.

Court documents show that twice during the last year, Reynosa took Cobbledick to the bank to have her transfer money from her savings account to her checking account.

Relatives became suspicious after Reynosa told Cobbledick that her funds were low. Cobbledick said she knew that she had a large sum in the bank, and her relatives called authorities when they found the money gone.

Investigators suspect that Reynosa wrote checks to herself and had Cobbledick sign them, Deller said. For instance, a check for $30 was allegedly altered and cashed for $30,000, Deller said, adding that the suspect used the money to make a down payment on her two-bedroom condominium.

“I thought I could sit back and enjoy my retirement,” Cobbledick said. “Now I don’t have anything left except my little pension.”

Reynosa said she did not steal from any other clients.

Asked why she singled out Cobbledick, Reynosa said that she needed money for the new condo and that the 86-year-old blind woman “was the easiest” target.

“I have 20 clients in (the Leisure World area), and a lot of them are not going to believe when they hear about this side of me,” said Reynosa, adding that she earned $1,800 a month from her other clients.

Reynosa said that she is willing to sell her condominium to repay Cobbledick and that she wants to continue working for seniors in Leisure World and other retirement communities.

“I get satisfaction and enjoyment from helping them walk, planting a plant or taking them to the airport,” Reynosa said. “I’ve been doing this for 14 years, and even if some of them believe I did this, they would still want me to work for them.”

Reynosa was convicted in July, 1983, of stealing $4,000 in jewelry from a Leisure World resident. She confessed to the crime and was sentenced to 24 months’ probation.

In 1985, she was convicted of stealing picture frames, silver candlesticks, dishes and antiques with a total value of $1,835 from another Leisure World resident. She served four days in County Jail and completed three years’ probation.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Rosanne Froeberg, who handles elder abuse cases, said her department is working jointly with other law enforcement agencies to prosecute people who prey on the elderly. During the last year, investigators from the district attorney’s office handled 21 elder abuse cases, and 12 are still under investigation.

“Swindlers of the elderly need to be aware that law enforcement is proficient, and we’re very much in support of prosecuting them,” Froeberg said.

She said that some investigations of elderly abuse, especially those involving retirees who have suffered memory loss, can take up to a year and that charges are sometimes never filed because the victims are not competent to testify in court against their abusers.

“But these kinds of cases are getting reported to us more now,” Froeberg said. “People are definitely becoming more educated about what can happen to their parents, friends and loved ones who are isolated.”

The Cobbledick case is the second in three weeks involving a blind retiree.

On Jan. 16, Leonard Dale Keeney, 54, of San Clemente was sentenced to two years in state prison for stealing $14,000 from a Leisure World woman while he worked for her as a driver and caretaker.

Keeney met the victim, 86-year-old Sue Chase, in September, 1991, through his girlfriend, also a care giver in Leisure World. During a period in which Chase temporarily lost her eyesight, Keeney obtained the elderly woman’s personal code number for her bank ATM card. He later stole her card and used it to withdraw money 48 times between Nov. 1 and Jan. 6.

Chase notified authorities of the unauthorized transactions, and Keeney confessed to the crime.

Abusing Our Elders

Abuse of Orange County elderly (those 65 years and older) has more than doubled since 1986. The victims, overwhelmingly women, are most often prey of their children. A closer look at the abuse picture: Victim demographics for elderly age 65+: Average age: 75 Female: 71% Male: 29% Relationship of suspected abuser to the victim: Caretaker: 13% Offspring: 40% Other relative: 14% Spouse: 15% No relation: 8% Unknown: 10% Types of elder abuse: Neglect: 41% Physical: 20% Mental: 20% Fiduciary: 17% Other: 2% Source: Orange County Social Services Agency, adult services division