Essex Senior Citizen Home Resident Robs $50K from Dementia-Stricken 90-Year-Old Neighbor

An Essex County man was sentenced to five years in state prison Friday for stealing thousands from a fellow senior citizens home resident.

Gilbert Vaughn, 64, of East Orange stole $50,000 by coercing his dementia-stricken 90-year-old neighbor and friend into withdrawing the money from an annuity account as the state Office of the Public Guardian for the Elderly began protecting the victim’s finances, according to Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman.

Vaughn began the coercion weeks after the victim was placed into a state guardianship by the New Jersey Public Guardian’s Office once it was determined that he was suffering from dementia and that family members were unable or unwilling to assist him, Hoffman said.

Vaughn attended a hearing on the matter and testified as a witness that the guardianship was necessary to protect the victim from his children, who were taking advantage of their father’s finances.

Bloomfield police arrested Vaughn on June 3, 2014 while he was using the victim’s car. He also gave police the victim’s driver’s license and pretended to be him, Hoffman said.

In September, Vaughn pleaded guilty to charges that he began to coerce the victim to withdraw the money, which was held in an annuity from Western National Insurance Company, a subsidiary of American International Group (AIG), in August 2013. The $50,000 withdrawal was made before AIG froze the account, Hoffman said.

In addition to his prison sentence, Vaughn was ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution.