Philadelphia Men Guilty Of Swindling Thousands From Senior Citizen: Pennsylvania AG

Two Philadelphia men were found guilty by a jury of scamming a senior citizen out of thousands by pretending to a relative in need of money, Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Friday.

Spencer Compas, 31, and Witson Lavilette, 40, both of Philadelphia and Haiti natives, were found guilty Thursday afternoon following a four-day trial, Shapiro's office said.

The two men were charged following an investigation by a statewide grand jury that identified the defendants as scammers who took part in a nationwide fraud ring targeting elderly victims across the United States, according to Shapiro's office.

Compas and Lavilette claimed to be the 79-year-old victim's grandson, saying money was needed for bail on a DUI charge, Shapiro's office said.

The pair swindled $16,600 from the victim, who lives in California, according to the AG's office

They were each found guilty of felony counts of criminal attempt to commit theft by deception, criminal conspiracy and theft by deception.

The pair will be sentenced June 1, Shapiro's office said.

“This is a terrible scam preying upon the fears of a vulnerable population – our senior citizens,” Shapiro said in a statement. “One courageous victim helped us build the case tried by our prosecutors. Justice was done in this matter and let me be clear: We have zero tolerance for any scam targeting our elderly in Pennsylvania, and we’ll go after the scammers wherever they are.”

The case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Pennsylvania State Police, Auburn (Calif.) Police Department, Kansas City Police Department, Baton Rouge Police Department and Toledo (Iowa) Police Department.

Images via Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office