Man sentenced to 12 years in prison for scamming 89-year-old out of more than $400K

BENTON, Ill. (WAND) - A man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison by a district judge in Effingham County after admitting to scamming an 89-year-old man out of his life savings and belongings.

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 in criminal derived property. The judge ordered him to pay $411,773.51 in restitution.

Court documents show Stief met the victim in May 2023 after he offered lawn care and landscaping services. The court said he used misrepresentations to convince the victim to appoint him as hi Financial and Healthcare Power of Attorney.

After becoming Power of Attorney, Stief became a signatory on the victim's bank accounts. In August 2023, he talked the victim into cashing out his life insurance policies and deposited most of the victim's money into Stief's personal bank accounts.

Over the next several months, Stief spent almost the entire victim's life savings on himself. Stief took most of the victim's personal items like his gold coin collection, gold necklaces, guns and watches.

In October 2023, Stief persuaded the victim to leave a nursing home where he was living and move in with him. However, under Stief's supervision, the victim was not cared for, and his medical needs were not met.

The National Elder Fraud Hotline is a service from the U.S. Department of Justice that helps victims over 60 report crimes. The hotline is available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET at (833) 372-8311. Callers can remain anonymous. Translation services are available.

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