Suspect arrested for stealing $125,000 from elderly family member
Hoover Police detectives have charged a 55-year-old man with stealing from an elderly relative over more than a two-year span. The suspicious activity was first reported in November 2014 and involved forged checks and unlawful credit card purchases.
The 80-year-old victim had no knowledge that the suspect was draining her bank account and making numerous purchases with her credit cards. Detectives were able to document 86 separate checks that were either forged and cashed or forged and deposited into the suspect's bank accounts. The forged checks accounted for $113,000 of fraud, occurring in both Jefferson and Shelby counties. Additionally, the suspect completed 19 fraudulent transactions involving two credit cards belonging to the victim. Those 19 transactions accounted for an additional $12,000 of fraud. The suspect is charged with the following:
Andrew Jas Lawrence, 55, Hoover
Jefferson County:
- Financial exploitation of and elderly person first degree, $10,000 bond
- Theft of property first degree, $10,000 bond
- Possession for a forged instrument second degree, $10,000 bond
- Identity theft, $10,000 bond
- Two counts of fraudulent use of a credit card, $10,000 bond
Shelby County:
- Theft of property first degree, $30,000 bond
- Five counts possession of a forged instrument second degree, $10,000 bond
Lawrence was arrested April 3 by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department Warrant Unit. He was taken to the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham.
For more information, visit hooverpd.com.