Eight suspects charged with $40,000 worth of fraud involving elderly victim

Eight people have been charged in a fraud investigation out of Chatham County.

Investigators told WRAL the suspects stole a total of about $40,000 from an elderly victim. 

According to court records, some of the earliest fraudulent charges are from April of 2023. 

Chatham County Sheriff’s Office Staff Sergeant over investigations, Rob Miller, said his investigators had to go through many search warrants to check each transaction. 

"It's important that as family members start to get older and unable to keep up with things, keeping track of their accounts. In this case, the daughter was power of attorney, and that's great, because she was able to get a lot of records from the financial institution to help us, where the father may not have been able to do that,” Miller said. 

Miller said exploitation of the elderly is happening more often; for example, this case out of Durham, where a home health aide pleaded guilty to exploitation and obtaining property by false pretense. 

“These people prey on elderly people because they're easily not catching money missing and things like that,” Miller said. 

Miller said it is important to do your research on who you let into your home, and to check the transactions of your loved ones' bank accounts. 

He also cautioned against scams that urge quick payment. 

“A lot of scams have a sense of urgency to them. We get them all the time where they need the money right now,” Miller said. “Bill collectors and utility companies and stuff like that aren't going to force you to do something right now or stay on the phone with you while they do something. That's a big red flag."

These are the individuals charged:

• Whitney Briana Eddings, 29, of 486 Lockamy Road, Clinton, is charged with 11 counts of obtaining property by false pretense, seven counts of identity theft, and two counts of insurance fraud.
• Marc-Anthony Sebastian Allen, 31, of 2000 Straw Pond School Road, Roseboro, faces 39 counts of obtaining property by false pretense and 40 counts of identity theft.
• Timothy Bruce Lee, 58, of 3143 Keener Road, Clinton, is charged with six counts each of obtaining property by false pretense and identity theft.
• Nathan Grey Morrison, 31, of 484 Lockamy Road, Clinton, faces one count of obtaining property by false pretense and one count of identity theft.
• Charles Scott Wood, 35, of 198 Ruffin Road, Dunn, is charged with one count of obtaining property by false pretense and one count of identity theft.
• Caitlin Frances Kahlor-Harmer, 38, of 407 W. Parrish Drive, Benson, faces one count of obtaining property by false pretense and one count of identity theft.
• Wanda French Lee, 50, of 486 Lockamy Road, Clinton, is charged with three counts of obtaining property by false pretense and three counts of identity theft.
• Kyle Everette Strickland, 31, of 486 Lockamy Road, Clinton, faces 33 counts of obtaining property by false pretense and 30 counts of identity theft.

The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office said it is not immediately clear how the suspects obtained the victim’s information for the fraud.

The next court date for all of the suspects will be May 12th.