Pekin Man Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Defrauding Elderly Victim

PEORIA, Ill. - A Pekin, Ill., man has been ordered to serve 24 months in federal prison for defrauding an elderly victim of his life savings over a two-year period. U.S. District Judge Joe Billy McDade today sentenced Deryl Wright, 42, of the 1400 block of Camden St., to the prison term and ordered that Wright pay restitution in the amount of $100,585 to the victim. Wright has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest on Oct. 2, 2017.

In an announcement on Feb. 22, 2018, the U.S. Attorney’s Office cited Wright’s case among more than 250 defendants in a nationwide elder fraud sweep by the Department of Justice. The Department has made prosecuting fraud schemes that target the elderly a key priority.

On Nov. 22, 2017, Wright entered pleas of guilty to charges that he defrauded an elderly, vulnerable victim under the premise that Wright’s father had died and he was to inherit a large sum of money. From 2015 to April 2017, Wright told the victim that he needed to borrow money to receive the inheritance check and that he would pay back the victim from the inheritance money. In fact, Wright had no such inheritance check; rather, the money he obtained from the victim was used to support his lifestyle and for his personal benefit.

The Pekin Police Department investigated the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine G. Legge prosecuted the case in the Peoria Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois.

Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office of Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.