Texas Man gets 40-Year Prison Sentence for Phony Annuity Scam That Targeted Elderly Women

An Allen, Texas man is sentenced to 40-years behind bars for bilking elderly women out of close to $500,000 in a phone annuity scam. Robert Mangiafico Jr. pleaded guilty to money laundering and theft related in the Texas securities fraud case.

According to prosecutors, Mangiafico persuaded a number of widows to liquidate holdings and securities in brokerage accounts and other assets and he was supposed to use the money to buy annuities for them. Instead, after he had them move the funds to him or to Security Financial Services LLS, which was set up by Thomas Grimshaw of Dallas, the cash went to bank accounts for him and Grimshaw. The two men used the money for personal spending and to scam their investment victims.

Prosecutors say that $655,000 was stolen from four victims, who sustained $458,361 in losses. According to a 2011 indictment, the appropriations were made without the women’s consent because they were of advanced age and their capacity to make rational and informed choices was diminished.

The criminal charges against Grimshaw are pending.

Elder Financial Fraud
Unfortunately, elder financial fraud is a serious problem. Many elderly seniors have lost their ability to make sound investment choices and there are those who choose to take advantage of this, bilking them of their retirement and other savings. This can lead to serious consequences for the investors, who may need these funds to take care of their medical and living expenses-especially if they have no one to turn to for help. A lot of elderly investors may be too scared to report when they’ve been victimized by fraud or they may have lost the ability to do so.

At Shepherd Smith Edwards and Kantas, LTD, LLP, our elder financial fraud lawyers are here to advocate for our senior investor clients and fight for their right to recover their investment fraud losses. We handle securities cases via mediation, arbitration, or in the courts.

Contact our Texas securities fraud law firm today and ask for your free case consultation.

Texas man gets 40 years for phony annuities scheme, InvestmentNews, September 20, 2013

Fraud Target: Senior Citizens, FBI
Seniors, Securities and Exchange Commission

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