A man and woman were arrested on Tuesday for exploiting a disabled woman and stealing approximately $71,000 from her in a scheme that lasted several months, authorities confirmed Friday.
According to detectives from the Broward Sheriff's Office Special Victims Unit, Bob Ely, 61, of Oakland Park, and Diane Cooper, 52, of Fort Lauderdale, met the victim on May 18 at a Lauderdale Lakes hotel located in the 4800 block of West Oakland Park Boulevard.
Authorities said what started as a casual interaction quickly turned into a manipulative scheme to defraud the woman.
Ely's arrest report stated that he used threats of violence, including brandishing a gun to coerce the victim into withdrawing large sums of money from her bank. He then pocketed the victim's cash or made purchases using her stolen debit card, BSO detectives confirmed.
Authorities said they launched their investigation in late July after receiving a tip about the suspects' activities.
