Man Convicted Of Elder Financial Abuse, Burglary

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — A Santa Cruz County Superior Court jury convicted a man Thursday of first-degree burglary, elder financial abuse and embezzlement, prosecutors announced Monday. According to the Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Office, Donald Scott Rainey, with his crime partner Christopher Wayne Roberts, promised an elderly couple that they would have their gold coin collection certified and then sold for a better price.

Instead of having the coins certified and the sale proceeds returned to the couple, Rainey and Roberts kept the coins and the proceeds for themselves, prosecutors said. Rainey operated under a business called Vintage World Coin, based out of Beaumont, Texas.

Prosecutors said that elderly coin collectors from Orinda, Gresham, Oregon; Kingman, Kansas; Procter, Colorado; and El Paso, Texas also claimed to be victims of Rainey and Roberts. Rainey is scheduled to be sentenced on April 27.

"We feel that when Mr. Rainey is sentenced, he will be held fully accountable for the crimes that he has committed," District Attorney Jeff Rosell said in a statement.

Rosell said, "This prosecution underscores my ongoing commitment to protect the citizens of Santa Cruz County from criminals who commit fraud, especially when it involves our elderly citizens."

By Bay City News

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