Pasadena Police Detectives arrested a crew of elder financial abuse suspects charged with stealing over $24,000 from the 73-year-old victim over a three and a half month period. The suspects are also suspected of attempting to steal an additional $54,000 from the same man, who is a cancer patient and suffers from mental illness and alcoholism. The crew would consume alcohol with the victim until he was intoxicated before walking him into his banks and convincing tellers to remove large amounts of cash or cashier’s checks on his behalf, and using the victim’s credit card to make online purchases and rent motel rooms.
Detective Victor Cass had been investigating the crew since March, after the victim’s Union Station Homeless Services case workers filed a Financial Crime Report with the Department. Detective Cass collected evidence, including surveillance video, online purchase receipts, bank records, interviewed numerous witnesses, and had notified the victim’s bank, Pasadena Federal Credit Union (P.F.C.U.), 1038 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena, to contact him if the suspects returned with the victim.
On the morning of June 26, 2019, four of the suspects: Billy Burton, Griselda “Gracie” Patterson, Adriana Patterson (her daughter), and Antwan Havard (her boyfriend), all of Los Angeles, took the victim back to P.F.C.U. in order to defraud him of more money.
The bank notified Detective Cass, who led an arrest team of Detectives and Patrol Officers to the bank, arresting Burton and Adriana inside the location, and taking Gracie and Havard into custody next to his car in the parking lot. Detective Cass recovered more evidence and obtained confessions from all four suspects.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed multiple felony charges against the four, including P.C. 368(d), Elder Financial Abuse; P.C. 487(a), Grand theft; as well as attempted elder financial abuse and grand theft. Burton and Gracie remain in custody in the Los Angeles County Jail on $70,000 and $50,000 bail respectively, while Adriana and Havard bonded out, with court appearances on Aug. 8, 2019.
On July 10, 2019, Detective Cass led a team of Detectives in the execution of a search warrant at 235 E. Holly St. #217, where they arrested the fifth suspect, Carolyn Shields of Pasadena, suspected of being involved in the fraudulent online purchases. Shields also admitted to her role in the crimes, and on July 12, 2019, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed a felony, P.C. 368(d), Elder Abuse charge on her as well. Shields is being held on $50,000 bail.
The Pasadena Police Department takes seriously any and all allegations of elder financial abuse. These kinds of crimes target our community’s most trusting and vulnerable senior population
Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call Pasadena Police at (626)- 744-4241 or you may report information anonymously by calling “Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” mobile app on Google Play or the Apple App Store or by using the website lacrimestoppers.org.
