Couple befriended retired teacher and offered to help. Then they stole her Boise ranch
A couple who spent years working on a scheme to gain an elderly woman’s trust and con her out of her Boise ranch are now facing prison time.
James Dougherty, 43, and Jessica Dougherty, 42, of Boise, pleaded guilty to wire fraud through a plea agreement Thursday after taking more than $187,000 from a retired elementary school teacher, according to court records. Both face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.
The husband and wife moved into a building on the unnamed victim’s 46-acre property on North Broken Horn Road in 2015 to “ostensibly provide the victim with assistance with her ranch and horses in exchange for free rent,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release. James Dougherty was the son of the victim’s family friend, according to the plea agreement.
The couple created a plan to befriend the victim, move onto her property and gain her trust, according to court documents. The couple’s scheme included intentionally isolating her, removing her means of transportation and communication, and providing inadequate health care for her and her livestock.
Later that year, the victim’s health declined, and James Dougherty “gained control of the victim’s finances, including being named as the victim’s power of attorney for finances,” the Justice Department said.
A trust “ostensibly signed by the victim” was created, naming the couple as the primary beneficiaries of her estate, and the ranch was soon transferred into that trust, according to the Justice Department. James was made sole trustee of the trust after the victim was declared incapacitated by two doctors in March 2016, according to the department.
The husband and wife began taking money from the victim’s accounts without her knowledge. They used the money to rehabilitate their credit until they were able to qualify for a mortgage for the ranch, according to court records.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said James and Jessica Dougherty sold the ranch, which was never publicly listed for sale, to themselves without the victim’s consent. They bought it for $96,085, which was just enough to clear the existing debt on the ranch, according to court documents. The Ada County Assessor’s Office valued it at more than twice that amount.
Couple arrested after seven years
Law enforcement arrested the couple in August 2022, and James Dougherty eventually admitted to acting with the intent to defraud, according to the Justice Department.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Jessica Dougherty made a call from the Ada County Jail to ask someone to destroy evidence by resetting a laptop at the ranch. She later admitted to “knowingly causing the destruction of the records with the intent to obstruct the Department of Justice’s investigation,” the news release said.
“We must treat elders with the decency and respect that they deserve, and our office will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute those who defraud elderly victims,” U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit said in the release.
The couple’s sentencing hearing is set for 10 a.m. April 2 at the James A. McClure Federal Building in Boise.
Those wanting to report elder abuse can visit justice.gov/elderjustice/roadmap or call the victim hotline at 1-855-484-2846.
