A district judge has sentenced an Effingham County man to 12 years in prison after he admitted to defrauding an 89-year-old man out of more than $400,000.
Edward L. Stief, Jr., 42, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, and one count of unlawful monetary transactions involving criminally derived property. The judge also ordered Stief to pay $411,773.51 in restitution. According to court documents, Stief met the victim in May 2023 while providing lawn care and landscaping services. Shortly thereafter, Stief used deception to persuade the victim to appoint him as his Financial and Healthcare Power of Attorney. After gaining Power of Attorney, Stief became a signatory on the victim’s bank accounts. In August 2023, he convinced the victim to cash out his life insurance policies and deposited most of the funds into his own accounts. Over the subsequent months, Stief spent the victim’s life savings on himself and took possession of the majority of the victim’s personal valuables, including a gold coin collection, gold necklaces, guns, and watches. In October 2023, Stief persuaded the victim to leave a nursing facility and move into his full-time care. Under Stief’s supervision, the victim’s medical needs were neglected. The FBI Springfield Field Office and the Effingham Police Department led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Howard prosecuted the case.
The National Elder Fraud Hotline, a service from the U.S. Department of Justice, assists victims over 60 in reporting crimes and accessing resources. The hotline is available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, at (833) 372-8311 or (833) FRAUD-11. Callers may remain anonymous, and translation services are available.