Two men were sentenced for stealing $175,000 from a Bergen County NJ widow.

According to prosecutors, the fraud and theft crimes occurred in 2010. The two suspects, a 54-year-old man and his 84-year-old father, reportedly stole the money by convincing the 69-year-old victim to provide them with control of her funds.

The 54-year-old suspect befriended the victim after her husband died in 2007 and then became her financial advisor. The suspect reportedly targeted the victim because she had no family living in the area.

In 2010, the suspect was able to trick the victim into giving him control of an annuity. He then used the funds to pay off a loan on his father’s home in Pine Brook, New Jersey. Moreover, the suspect stole nearly $7,000 of the victim’s money and placed it in his business account.

An attorney for the victim discovered the fraud in 2012 when the victim moved into an assisted living facility.

The suspects, who lived in Toms River NJ and Hamptons Bay NY, were later placed under arrest. They pleaded guilty in June 2015 to committing the theft by deception.

The younger suspect was recently sentenced to 5 years in New Jersey State Prison, while the older suspect received a sentence of 2 years in state prison.

Additionally, both suspects were required to pay back all of the money that they stole from the victim.

The New Jersey Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor released a statement announcing the suspects’ sentences. Authorities cautioned that many senior citizens in New Jersey may need “family and friends to guide them through managing their retirement” so that they can avoid being exploited by unscrupulous individuals.

To learn more about this case, check out the NJ.com article entitled “Father, Son Who Stole from Elderly Bergen Widow Sentenced.”