Man to Be Returned to State for Fraud Trial
A man who allegedly bilked a 90-year-old homeless woman out of $40,000 will be extradited to California to stand trial, the U.S. attorney’s office said Tuesday.
Miguel Angel Somoza, 54, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Santa Ana on 10 counts of wire fraud, and was arrested Monday at his residence in Roseburg, Ore. Somoza allegedly told the victim that she owed money to the IRS and that he would help her fix the problem if she gave him money. Somoza met the victim at a nursing home where the victim’s sister lived.
Somoza could not be reached for comment.
Authorities say the crime occurred between September 1997 and May 2000 when the victim lived in a Buena Park homeless shelter. Assistant U.S. Atty. Douglas F. McCormick said the victim had apparently lost her longtime home, yet still had money in a Swiss bank account.
Somoza could not be reached for comment.
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