Former IRS Agent Accused Of Bilking Santa Rosa Woman For $1M: PD

SANTA ROSA, CA — A Southern California woman was arrested last week at her Marina Del Rey home on suspicion of 22 counts of financial elder abuse following a years-long investigation by the Santa Rosa Police Department.

Elana Cohen-Roth, 77, a former IRS field agent and IRS tax auditor who was most recently working as an enrolled agent and tax return practitioner in Los Angeles, is suspected of bilking more than $1 million from a Santa Rosa woman over a seven-year period, police said.

"The victim believed she was investing in lucrative high-yielding investment opportunities," Santa Rosa police Sgt. Christopher Mahurin said in a news release. "When the victim no longer had any funds to invest and asked for her investments to be liquidated, the suspect’s demeanor and communications raised suspicions."

The Santa Rosa Police Department began looking into Cohen-Roth in December 2020 when a 73-year-old Santa Rosa resident reported that since 2012, she had entrusted a significant amount of money to an acquaintance she met through a mutual friend. The acquaintance agreed to invest those funds on her behalf, Mahurin said.

Based on the initial report, the SRPD's Property Crimes Investigations Team suspected the victim was defrauded of a significant amount of money and took over the criminal investigation.

In January 2021, detectives with the Property Crimes Investigations Team served search warrants at Cohen-Roth's residence in Marina Del Rey and at her business in Los Angeles and seized boxes of financial documents and correspondence as evidence.

Over the next 12 months, detectives authored several more search warrants, combed through electronic communications and financial documents, and conducted several victim interviews.

"Detectives thoroughly audited numerous bank accounts and thousands of banking transactions over the course of several years for the victim and suspect," Mahurin said.

Earlier this month, detectives worked with the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office and secured a no-bail arrest warrant for Cohen-Roth on suspicion of 22 felony counts of financial elder abuse and three felony counts of money laundering.

On Tuesday, Jan. 18, detectives from the SRPD Property Crimes Team, with the help of the Los Angeles Police Department, arrested Cohen-Roth at her residence in the 100 block of Northstar Mall in Marina Del Rey.

Cohen-Roth was booked into the LA Metropolitan Detention Center Jail was is expected to be transferred to Sonoma County jail this week.

Detectives believe there are other California victims of Cohen-Roth’s Ponzi scheme who may also have invested significant funds through Cohen-Roth for high-yield investments.

"Cohen-Roth’s Ponzi scheme patterns consisted of making interest payments to her investors/victims, while using incoming 'investment' funds to allow for her lavish lifestyle," Mahurin said. "If you believe you have been a victim of Cohen-Roth, please make a criminal report with the local jurisdiction you live in."

In Sonoma County, potential victims should contact SRPD Property Crimes Detective Jeff Woods at JRWoods@srcity.org, Mahurin said.