CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Three out-of-state residents will be arraigned in the coming days in federal Magistrate Court in Charleston on charges that they defrauded elderly West Virginia residents.
A 12-count indictment unsealed Monday named Kacey K. Moise, 38, of Elmont, N.Y., Charnita E. Ryland, 21, of Montgomery, Md., and Sheray J. McKay, 21, of Suitland, Md., in the scheme that took place for five days in Nov. 2012.
U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said the three called a number of older residents in southern West Virginia and acted like they were family members or clergy that had been in some kind of accident. They asked the elderly residents to wire them money. Goodwin said numerous calls were made and 18 residents were defrauded.
“Scams to steal from older West Virginians are downright shameful,” Goodwin said in a prepared release. “Protecting our state’s senior citizens is one of my top priorities, and in 2014, we’re going to work harder than ever to catch criminals who cheat seniors.”
The victims targeted in the scheme were between 70 and 95 years old.
Ryland and McKay are scheduled to be arraigned soon in federal court in Charleston. Moise is scheduled to appear Jan. 23.