A judge sentenced Las Vegas broker Sophie Smith to prison for tricking a man suffering from dementia into financing her gambling debts. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
Realtor cheated on older man
Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny has sentenced a high-profile Las Vegas real estate agent to prison for withholding $638,223.56 from her elderly friend, who suffers from dementia.
Exploitation of an elderly or vulnerable person, theft and credit card fraud.”
Judge Kierny on Tuesday sentenced 50-year-old Sophia Smith to six months in prison for “exploitation of an elderly or vulnerable person, theft and credit card fraud.”
The judge also sentenced Smith to a suspended sentence of 12 to 30 years for her actions against 90-year-old Cornelius “Connie” Hoffmans.
According to court documents, Smith, who is openly gay, led the Hoffmans to believe they were in a relationship, including Facebook posts in which she referred to the older man as her “best friend.”
With the money Smith stole from her victim, she bought a house, an RV and paid off her gambling debts.
Strong-armed fraudster
Smith’s contempt for Hoffmans began when he donated money to her charity called the Strong ARM Foundation, a supposed non-profit organization that claimed to “support underprivileged women and children for the purchase of equipment and uniforms.”
However, Clark County Assistant District Attorney Austin Beaumont said the organization was a fraud because Smith pocketed nearly 90% of the donations.
Smith continued to deceive Hoffmans, making him believe they were together, even though Assistant State’s Attorney Beaumont said she knew her victim had “memory problems.” [and] Dementia.” Judge Kierny found on Tuesday that Hoffmans was probably unaware of the fact that Smith was using him.
The judge admonished Smith, saying: “It’s such a sad situation that you took advantage of that trust in the way you did.”
I’m sorry for manipulating, deceiving and taking advantage of my best friend.”
During her hearing, Smith apologized for not telling Hoffmans that she was gay. Most importantly, she said, “I’m sorry for manipulating, deceiving and taking advantage of my best friend.”
The family receives compensation
While Smith’s deception and theft from an elderly dementia patient is a heartless crime that may have caused Hoffmans untold grief, his family has received and will receive some compensation.
Accordingly Yahoo! Newsa civil lawsuit resulted Hoffmans’ family bought the house and RV Smith bought it with their victim’s money. Judge Kierney also ordered Smith to repay the Hoffmans’ estate nearly $300,000.
If Smith violates the terms of her probation within five years, she faces prison time, the judge added.
