San Jose Couple Use Elderly Man's Bank Account To Buy Cars, Jewelry
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- A married couple was arrested Thursday in connection with the theft of nearly $1 million from a 96-year-old San Jose man, San Jose police Sgt. Jason Dwyer said.
Christina Bray, 29, of San Jose met the victim at Chase Bank, where she was a branch manager. She and her husband befriended the victim and convinced him she was a distant relative, Dwyer said.
The suspects helped the victim withdraw $997,996 in cashiers checks and cash between late August and early November. The suspects used the cashiers checks to purchase several items including a 2011 Mercedes Benz, time-share property, a cosmetic surgery procedure, car insurance and jewelry, Dwyer said.
Police are investigating the possibility the suspects also purchased a Cadillac Escalade with the victim's money, Dwyer said.
Jimmy Bray, 38, convinced the victim to open a bank account at Comerica Bank in which Bray would be a cosigner with the victim. The initial deposit into the account was more than $700,000, Dwyer said.
Jimmy Bray then withdrew $38,500 from the account.
The victim said he knew nothing about the cashiers checks or bank account, investigators said. He also stated he gave no gifts or money to the suspects and that they did not have permission to withdraw money from his accounts.
The suspects were taken into custody when they arrived at the victim's home while investigators were interviewing him, Dwyer said. The pair remains in custody at the Santa Clara County Main Jail.
The victim's family alerted the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office of the suspicious activity, Dwyer said. Comerica Bank also contacted Santa Clara County Adult Protective Services to report the suspected elder abuse.
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