Elderly Greenwich Woman Loses $1 Million in Church Charity Scam

A New Jersey man is facing allegations that he swindled more than $1 million from a 92-year-old Greewich woman who thought she was donating her money to a Christian charity.

The man’s arrest on Saturday was the culmination of a two-week investigation by the White Collar Crimes Unit of the Bergen County, NJ prosecutor’s office and Greenwich Police, according to an announcement from from the prosecutor’s office.

In late July, an investigator with Bank of America reported unusual banking activity involving the suspect and the Greenwich. The investigation revealed that the suspect “was not using the monies for a Christian charity, but simply exploiting the elderly woman to enrich himself,” according to the prosecutor’s statement.

Sonny Y. Lee, 59, of Old Tappan, NJ, was charged on Aug. 8 with theft by deception and money laundering. Lee was to have hadhHis initial court appearance on Monday in Bergen County Central Municipal Court.

Photo: Sonny Y. Lee. Credit: Bergen County, NJ Prosecutor’s Office.