Kennesaw Man Sentenced for Elder Exploitation

A Kennesaw man will spend at least the next 10 years in prison following his guilty plea on charges that he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from his wife’s elderly father during a two year period, the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.

Donald J. Eye, 55, admitted in court that he stole $355,000 from his father in law between 2010 and 2012. The elderly man is suffering from dementia, and was staying at an assisted living facility at the time. Eye’s wife was given power of attorney over him, but Eye took advantage of the situation by emptying the man’s bank accounts and making himself an authorized user of the man’s credit card.

Eye pleaded guilty to financial identity fraud and elder exploitation and received a 20 year sentence with a mandatory 10 year stay in prison from Superior Court Judge Mary E. Staley. The rest of Eye’s sentence will be served on probation. Additionally, Eye will be ordered to make restitution, though the amount has not been decided yet.

“This defendant preyed on a frail, elderly member of his own family by stealing his life’s work. It’s a disgusting crime deserving a severe punishment,” said Assistant District Attorney Greg Epstein in court.

Randy Scoggins, the victim’s son, now has power of attorney over his ailing father and says that one of his bank accounts only has $67 left in it. Thanks to Eye’s actions, the victim could not stay in the assisted living facility and is now being cared for by family.