BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – A man and woman were arrested on Tuesday for exploiting a disabled woman and stealing approximately $71,000 from her in a scheme that lasted several months, authorities confirmed Friday.
According to detectives from the Broward Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit, Bob Ely, 61, of Oakland Park, and Diane Cooper, 52, of Fort Lauderdale, met the victim on May 18 at a Lauderdale Lakes hotel located in the 4800 block of West Oakland Park Boulevard.
Authorities said what started as a casual interaction quickly turned into a manipulative scheme to defraud the woman.
Ely’s arrest report stated that he used threats of violence, including brandishing a gun to coerce the victim into withdrawing large sums of money from her bank. He then pocketed the victim’s cash or made purchases using her stolen debit card, BSO detectives confirmed.
Authorities said they launched their investigation in late July after receiving a tip about the suspects’ activities.
They immediately began working closely with the victim, gathering evidence and piecing together the series of events that had occurred over several weeks, according to the report.
The investigation resulted in arrest warrants for both Ely and Cooper on Aug. 29, deputies said.
Deputies said Ely and Cooper were taken into custody on Tuesday after the pair both attended a meeting with Ely’s probation officer.
The charges against Ely and Cooper are serious. Both face multiple felony counts, including exploitation of a disabled adult, grand theft, organized scheme to defraud and criminal use of personal identification.
Jail records show Ely is also facing additional charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and violation of probation.
As of Friday, Cooper was being held at the Paul Rein Detention Facility on a $110,000 bond, while Ely was being held without bond at the Broward Main Jail.
Local 10 News has reached out to BSO to confirm the relationship between the two suspects.