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| Stockbroker Cynthia Franke and financial planner Tyrone Javellana |
A stock broker along with a financial planner were arrested, charged and found guilty of stealing millions of dollars from an elderly woman, according to court proceedings in Florida.
It all began when many years ago a lucky woman bought shares in a company called Apple Computer. That move, plus some margin trading, turned her into a millionaire.
Now, at 94-years-old along with severe dementia, she was left with nothing, authorities said, after the pair of con artists from South Florida coaxed her into signing over $10 million of her estate and leave nothing to her family.
Stockbroker Cynthia Franke and financial planner Tyrone Javellana, of Hollywood, were convicted Tuesday of financial exploitation of an elderly person, a first-degree felony that could result in up to 30 years in prison.
The defendants, fully aware of her mental state, knew that the victim lacked the capacity to consent while the documents were signed, Ron Ishoy, a spokesperson for the State Attorney's Office in Broward County, said.
Franke and Javellana, a stockbroker and financial advisor, respectively, both had a business and personal relationship with the victim, which lasted for 30 years.
"However, the victim never gave anything to the accused until she began to show signs of dementia," Ishoy said.
Adult Protective Services launched an investigation after someone filed an anonymous complaint to the group.
"Within 24 hours of a complaint, APS sent an investigator to check out the situation," Ishoy said.