Pair allegedly conned, defrauded mentally ill woman
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Two Riverside County residents suspected of conning an elderly, mentally ill woman into giving them thousands of dollars are facing fraud-related charges.
Sebre Amadee Abdul, 57, and Maria Elia Chavira, 48, were taken into custody Tuesday at their Lake Elsinore home, where Ontario police detectives found “large amounts of furniture” believed to have been purchased with the woman’s credit card.
Authorities say they persuaded the unidentified victim to open multiple credit accounts, which they used to make more than $36,000 in purchases.
The pair also persuaded the woman to withdraw $10,000 from her bank account, which Abdul lost at an Los Angeles County casino, police said.
Abdul and Chavira were taken to the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga and were booked on suspicion of burglary, grand theft and elder abuse, among other felonies.
Detectives suspect that Abdul and Chavira may have defrauded others, and they are looking to identify any additional victims.
Anyone with information on the case — or those who believe they may have been victimized — is asked to call Ontario police detectives at (909) 395-2732.
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