Ira Roberts was apprehended today by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for his financial exploitation of an elderly Escambia resident.
According to the MFCU investigation, over the course of 18 months, Roberts deliberately removed over $17,000 from the senior’s bank account.
He used the money for personal expenses and purchases from DoorDash, Netflix, and Amazon, among other retailers.
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“This man, while serving in a position of trust as a power of attorney, stole more than $17,000 from a senior victim’s bank account to use on himself. It is shameful that instead of faithfully fulfilling the role of power of attorney, he stole thousands of dollars to pay his own utilities and bills from DoorDash, Netflix, Amazon and other stores. I am thankful for our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for stopping this exploitation,” said Moody.
According to the investigation, Roberts, while in a position of trust with the 82-year-old victim, transferred more than $44,000 from the victim’s account into his own account between June 2021 and December 2022. Based on witness accounts, facility records and bank records, Roberts spent more than $17,000 of those transferred funds on personal expenses—not for the use or benefit of the victim.
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Roberts faces one count of exploitation of an elderly person or disabled adult, less than $50,000—a second-degree felony.
Attorney General Moody’s MFCU will prosecute the case through an agreement with the State Attorney’s Office for the First Judicial Circuit.
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