Forsyth Father, Son Indicted in $3.6 Million Theft from Elderly Woman

A Gainesville father and son and a third person have been indicted in an elderly exploitation case that reaches from Cobb to Forsyth County, WSB-TV reports.

Jeffrey T. Carr, of Bethel Ridge Court, and his father, Joseph T. Carr, of Kate Court, according to Access North Georgia, for nearly four years allegedly used manipulation and a family rift to steal millions of dollars from a 91-year-old East Cobb woman, Patch reported in May.

The two Forsyth County residents were then arrested by the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office Fraud Unit. According to the criminal warrants, Jeffrey Carr, then 39, gained the trust of Francis Perkins in early May 2009 "by exploiting an ongoing sibling rivalry between the victim's daughters, and allowing one daughter to isolate her mother from contact with other people and the other sibling." 

Despite ongoing efforts by Adult Protective Services to aid the woman, Jeffrey Carr allegedly allowed the isolation to continue, records show.

During a period between May 4, 2009, and Nov. 18, 2012, he allegedly received $707,521.36 from Perkins, who was under the impression that she was investing in real estate opportunities. About $25,200 of the funds came from an account held solely her; $124,000 came from a joint account funded solely by her; and $558,321.36 came from a joint account in which Perkins and her daughter were contributors.

Joseph Carr, who was 65 when he was arrested, also profited, receiving $353,720 from the accounts on Aug. 31, 2011, records show.

Weeks later, Jeffrey Carr "influenced the victim to sign a power of attorney that gave him access to her remaining estate," Cobb sheriff's spokeswoman Nancy Bodiford said in May. Joseph Carr signed the document as a witness. The power of attorney was filed with the Cobb County Superior Court Clerk on Sept. 16, 2011, records show.

When the woman was hospitalized on Jan. 6, 2012, Jeffrey Carr allegedly arranged to move her to a Forsyth rehabilitation facility near him, "effectively isolating her from contact with her daughters and friends despite the victim's initial request to go to a facility close to her residence in Cobb County," an investigator with the sheriff's office wrote in his warrant.

With the woman so close to him, he was able to monitor the people who had access to her.

At some point, Jeffrey Carr wanted to keep even closer tabs on the woman, according to the warrant. Father and son allegedly moved the woman in the middle of the night from the assisted living facility into the father's Forsyth residence, a move that allegedly netted the son nearly $2.8 million "in the guise of fees, rent payments, commissions, legal fees and other charges in which the bank records subsequently showed the victim paid for directly," according to Jeffrey Carr's warrant.

Once again, the father profited. Joseph Carr collected $338,200 between Jan. 9, 2012, and Jan. 2, 2013, records show.

Between April 2012 and January 2013, Jeffrey Carr allegedly accepted 96 checks totaling $1,630,932.20 from the woman’s accounts, records show.