DAVIE, Fla. – Hannah McDowell had a number of in poor health youngsters and used to be having well being issues herself and wanted huge sums of cash from a Davie guy so she may just pay her expenses and stay her youngsters alive — or a minimum of that’s what she informed him, in keeping with police.
But government say the 27-year-old made up a sob tale with a purpose to thieve the senior’s cash. Hannah McDowell, at the side of her husband, Zachary McDowell, 31, have been booked into Broward County prison amenities on Friday.
The couple, from Lehigh Acres in southwest Florida, is accused of taking greater than $200,000 from the person.
Police stated it began in October 2020, when the sufferer posted an advert on Facebook in search of a housekeeper.
Hannah McDowell replied and the 2 become “friends,” a likely motive affidavit states.
The two by no means met face-to-face, however Hannah McDowell started telling him about her monetary and well being troubles, police stated.
Authorities stated the person first despatched her cash so she may just transfer in along with her grandparents, who she claimed have been requesting hire; she later claimed to be shifting in with a pal named “Sierra Yoder.”
Then got here the in poor health youngsters, police stated.
The affidavit states that over a duration of a number of months, Hannah McDowell would ask for and settle for monetary lend a hand from the person as a result of of “several hardships,” together with youngsters who have been “ill and in the hospital” and a pending eviction.
“When (the victim) would ask for proof, Hannah would send him various pictures of children being treated in a hospital/medical facility as well as bills/invoices,” Davie police Detective Viviana Gallinal wrote within the affidavit. “Many of the invoices were for…astonishing balances.”
The guy informed police that he to start with handiest despatched a “few hundred dollars” however as time went by means of, the greenback quantities would build up considerably, police stated.
The guy stated he sought after to “help Hannah and her children because of all their financial and health issues,” police wrote.
“Sometimes Hannah would tell (the victim) that if medical treatment was not immediately paid for, the treatment would not be administered and her child was going to die,” Gallinal wrote. “Hannah would send photos of children in hospital beds that appeared to be in deplorable health, with some appearing like the child was on some sort of life-support machine.”
But police stated they later carried out a Google opposite symbol seek and located that every one of the pictures have been pulled from quite a lot of web pages.
“Some of the photos show children suffering from various ailments, including cystic fibrosis and one photo of a child named ‘Kycie’ who, according to (a news) article, was not expected to live,” Gallinal wrote. “Some of the photos are graphic and would cause any reasonable person to care or show compassion.”
Authorities stated the person in the end contacted Lee Health, the intended originator of the a lot of, pricey clinical expenses; a staffer on the Fort Myers-based well being machine would verify to the sufferer that the invoices have been pretend.
But that every one got here after the person had despatched — by way of Zelle and Cash App — $228,561 to accounts managed by means of Hannah and Zachary McDowell.
Police stated surveillance movies display each chickening out cash from the accounts.
“There is no indication that any transactions were to pay for medical bills or medically related,” police wrote within the affidavit. “The vast majority of the purchases were for food, retail and other individuals.”
Lee County deputies arrested the McDowells on March 15, in keeping with that county’s prison information, and extradited them to Broward County on Friday.
According to prison information, each husband and spouse face fees of acquiring belongings of over $50,000 by means of fraud, first-degree grand robbery and cash laundering of $100,000 or extra.
Hannah McDowell faces an extra fee of felony use of non-public id information. As of Monday, she used to be being held within the North Broward Bureau prison facility, whilst Zachary McDowell used to be being held within the Broward Main Jail.
Hannah McDowell’s bond used to be set at $95,000, whilst Zachary McDowell’s bond used to be indexed at $80,000.
If they’re in a position to get a hold of the bond quantities, each must display that their price range got here from a sound supply.
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