Flint woman to stand trial for alleged embezzlement from elderly man

(CBS DETROIT) – A 67-year-old woman will stand trial for allegedly embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from an elderly man she was in a relationship with, the Michigan Attorney General's Office announced.

Constance Marie Roberts, of Flint, is charged with four counts of failure to file/false tax returns and four counts of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult of $100,000 or more.

State officials say Roberts was in a long-term relationship with the man, who was married and 20 years older than her. She also took advantage of the gifts and money she received and obtained vehicles and large sums of cash when the man began experiencing cognitive decline, according to a news release. from the Attorney General's Office.

Officials say that between 2018 and 2021, Roberts collected about $3 million in total after taking from the man's checking and savings accounts and did not report the money on his taxes.

“Many seniors have saved for retirement throughout their working lives, and unfortunately, they also need to plan to protect their assets from people in their lives who might take advantage of them,” said Attorney General Dana Nessel. “My office will continue to investigate and prosecute complaints of financial exploitation committed against seniors and other vulnerable adults.”