HIALEAH, Fla. – A 19-year-old man has been arrested but his mother has fled the country after the duo exploited their 93-year-old uncle from Hialeah, leaving him penniless, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office announced on Friday.
Italo Nelli was arraigned in court Friday on charges of conspiracy to commit organized scheme to defraud, (a second-degree felony,) and financial exploitation of an elderly person, (a first-degree felony.)
According to prosecutors, Nelli and his mother, Hadee Toledo, 50, used falsified documents to allegedly loot all the possessions of Toledo’s uncle and Nelli’s 93-year-old great uncle.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Toledo, but authorities believe she has fled the country and is currently in Spain.
Prosecutors said the victim suffered a financial loss of more than $500,000, which includes the sale of his home by the suspects — his own relatives.
“The thief that steals from the elderly reveals a callousness buried deep in their own heart,” State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. “But the relative that steals everything possible from an aged family member, they can often be snatching the person’s very will to live. I commend the detectives of the Hialeah Police Department and the prosecutors of my Elderly Exploitation Unit for their commitment to ending such despicable crimes.”
Prosecutors said the suspects took advantage of the victim after he was hospitalized in August 2020 for COVID-19.
In order to take advantage of the situation, Toledo falsified paper work by forging the viciim’s signature on a power of attorney document. By doing this, police say she was able to sell the victim’s Hialeah home, liquidate all of his bank accounts, and flee from Florida.
Toledo “allegedly forged the victim’s signature on a Power of Attorney document, which was allegedly witnessed by the great nephew, Nelli, and others, and legally notarized,” said the report.
Her son, who has been charged, even received $5,000 and a Mercedes-Benz for his alleged involvement in helping his mother with the crime.
“By allegedly utilizing the Power of Attorney document and forged Transfer of Property deeds, Toledo was able to sell the victim’s home, liquidate his bank accounts, and leave Florida,” a news release from the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office read. “Nelli allegedly received $5,000 and a Mercedes-Benz from Toledo.”
The victim is now being quarantined in a nursing and rehab center, the Sunshine Adult Center, in Hialeah after he being released from the hospital.
In total, both Toledo and her son stole:
- $40,000 from their relative’s home
- $20,000 from their relative’s bank accounts
- Sold the victim’s home valued at nearly $500,000
Toledo is charged with the following crimes:
- Exploitation of the elderly (first-degree felony)
- Conspiracy to commit organized scheme to defraud (second-degree felony)
- Forgery (third-degree felony)
- Fraudulent use of personal identification information of a person 60 or older (second-degree felony)