PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) -
Detectives call it a sweetheart swindle – a young woman allegedly pretended to be fond of an older man and she reportedly used that false relationship to steal thousands of dollars.
Chanel Phillips, 21, faces 88 theft-related charges after appearing in Multnomah County Court Wednesday.
An elder abuse detective said Phillips befriended Tom Smith, 83, in a grocery store parking lot on southeast Division Street in Portland near 148th Avenue in late 2010. She gained his trust and he became fond of her, the detective said.
Over the next several months, Smith gave her $10,000 because he believed that she was suffering from cancer and diabetes and needed money for medical expenses – claims detectives said were false.
Smith ignored concerns about the relationship by his family, but in March 2011, Smith refused the money Phillips said she needed to bail a friend out of jail. After that refusal, detectives said Phillips conned Smith into meeting her and her boyfriend at a grocery store. They allegedly stole his wallet and left him stranded. They are accused of racking up $20,000 in credit card charges, mostly by buying gift cards.
Ironically, the pair was caught by Vancouver police during an unrelated investigation, when police reportedly found Smith's credit card in Phillips' home.
Smith's neighbors had hoped for resolution to the case.
"I'm just glad that she was caught because he was in a state where he was not in his right mind and she was taking advantage of that," neighbor Terry Carroll said.
Phillips was being held in the Multnomah County Jail on nearly $450,000 bond after serving time in Washington for an unrelated crime. Her boyfriend has yet to make his first court appearance in Oregon.
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