A 53-year-old man is facing theft-related charges for allegedly defrauding his 94-year-old grandmother of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Jeffrey Edward Stals is charged with theft by a person holding Power of Attorney and fraud over $5,000.
“This is a prime example of a senior citizen being preyed upon by a family member that she trusted,” Det. Dave Huggins said.
“Sadly, both her health, and her grandson, failed her at a time in her life when she should have been able to count on him.”
The charges come after a five-month investigation by EPS Senior Protection detectives.
It’s alleged that between August 2010 and August 2014, the accused made out multiple cheques to himself while acting as his grandmother’s attorney under an Enduring Power of Attorney.
Police said the fraud happened after the man’s grandmother was hospitalized following a stroke in 2010.
EPS said the woman contacted detectives after she “regained the capacity to make decisions in May 2014” and discovered the alleged fraud.