Dunnellon woman accused of swindling elderly woman
A 52-year-old Dunnellon woman has been charged by sheriff's detectives with reportedly swindling a woman out of thousands of dollars, and allegedly was positioning herself to inherit thousands more.
Sherry Lynn Hayes-Luzander was booked into the county jail on Feb. 11, charged with crimes against person/exploitation of elderly/$50,000 or more. Jail records show Hayes-Luzander was released the next day after posting a $5,000 bond.
Locally, Hayes-Luzander does not have a criminal record.
Victim's family express concern
Detectives Nicholas Austin and Richard Mead of the Marion County Sheriff's Office investigated a report where the family of an elderly woman believed she had been removed from an assisted living facility.
Family members said it appears Hayes-Luzader added her name to the victim's bank account and was assisting the victim with signing bank documents. The family was concerned about the victim because she has dementia, according to the report.
Mead was told the victim's daughter has power of attorney and, due to the victim's mental condition, she would need long-term memory care and is unable to make financial or legal decisions.
Family members said they became worried when the victim's information was changed at various financial institutions. Those institutions would not release any information to the victim's daughter, despite the woman having power of attorney.
In the investigation, the detectives were told the victim's family was exploiting the woman. But the detectives did not find any evidence to support that allegation.
Additional investigation
Continuing with their investigation, detectives discovered Hayes-Luzader was listed as the victim's power of attorney and she created a new bank account. Documents show Hayes-Luzader transferred nearly $61,000 to the new account, according to the arrest report. Other benefits, such as Social Security payments, were diverted to the new account, the report states.
The titles of two vehicles belonging to the victim, valued at a total of $35,000, were in the names of Hayes-Luzader and the victim.
The arrest report show Hayes-Luzader claimed she found what's called a Lady Bird deed, where the victim deeded the property to her. According to ASR Law Firm, a Lady Bird deed "formally known as an Enhanced Life Estate Deed, is designed to allow property owners in Florida to transfer property to others automatically upon their death while maintaining use, control and ownership while alive."
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Austin found found the notary who processed the Lady Bird deed. The woman said the Lady Bird deed was notarized in 2023, and not two years prior.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Detectives say Dunnellon woman swindled elderly woman
