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Defendant Charged for Scamming SeniorsFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 20, 2009 CONTACT: Defendant Charged for Scamming Seniors SAN FRANCISCO, CA – District Attorney Kamala D. Harris announced today the arraignment of Teresa Barron, age 34 and CTN 2406803 on 13 felony counts related to the defrauding of two elderly San Francisco men. "This defendant is charged with singling out elderly men for her own financial gain," said District Attorney Kamala D. Harris. "Our seniors shouldn’t be targeted, manipulated and robbed of their hard-earned savings by scheming opportunists. I commend the SFPD for their quick work in apprehending this suspect, who is now facing prosecution." Defendant Barron, of San Francisco, appeared in Department 9 of San Francisco Superior Court before the Honorable Diane Wick on Friday, February 20, 2009 for arraignment, but did not enter a plea on the following charges: two counts of first-degree residential burglary (PC 459) with allegations of committing a serious felony against an elder (PC 667.9), one count of second-degree commercial burglary (PC 459), three counts of theft from an elder (PC 368(d)), three counts of grand theft (PC 487(a)), one count of attempted theft from an elder (PC 664/368(d)), one count of attempted grand theft PC 664/487(a), one count of forgery (PC 470(a)), and possession of a counterfeit California ID card (PC 470b). According to the court documents, defendant Barron is alleged to have befriended two elderly San Francisco men with the aim of defrauding them. In the case of the first victim, a 77-year-old, the defendant took approximately $37,000 over the course of a10-day period in October 2008. The theft was first reported to Adult Protective Services, which subsequently notified San Francisco State University Police because the building in which the victim was living is owned by the University. At the time, the defendant’s identity had not been determined. In February 2009, the defendant initiated contact with a second victim, an 83-year-old man, who over the course of one week, in two separate meetings gave the defendant a total of $10,000. The victim became suspicious and contacted the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office for assistance. The District Attorney’s Office notified the San Francisco Police Department which began an investigation. The San Francisco Police Department’s Special Investigations Division set up surveillance so that when the victim was contacted for a third time by the defendant she was caught attempting to collect another $4,000 from the victim. The arrest was made in local restaurant, near the victim’s residence. Subsequent to her arrest, the first victim identified the defendant in a photo line-up and the victim was charged accordingly. With both victims, the defendant alleged that she was without health insurance and suffering from cancer. She also claimed to be working as an interior decorator. The requests for money were supposed to provide her with treatment for her alleged illness and assistance with her non-existent interior design business. Following her arrest on February 18, 2009, the defendant was taken into custody, where she remains with bail set at $500,000. The defendant’s next scheduled court appearance is February 26, 2009 in Department 9 for instruction, arraignment, plea and counsel. If convicted of all counts, the defendant could face up to 14 years and 10 months in state prison and be ordered to pay full restitution to both victims. Inspector Greg Ovanessian of the San Francisco Police Department led the investigation. Alan Kennedy, Head of the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office Elder Abuse Unit, is prosecuting the case.
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