Ranson man convicted of defrauding man with dementia | Newspaper

MARTINSBURG – Samuel Kristofer Bunner, 51, of Ranson, was sentenced to a total of 121 months, or just over 10 years, in federal prison for defrauding a Berkeley County man suffering from dementia.

Bunner pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in February after he was caught defrauding the victim of $1,906,229 by selling his real estate, emptying his investments and bank accounts and opening a credit card in his name. He used the money taken from the victim for his own benefit, purchasing homes, RVs, cars, and consumer goods worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Bunner was ordered to pay $1,906,229 in restitution to the victim. He will serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence.

Assistant United States Attorney Eleanor Hurney prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. The Jefferson County District Attorney's Office, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida and FBI-Tampa assisted in this case.

BCSD launches new initiative called Wanted Wednesdays

MARTINSBURG – In a new initiative, the Berkeley County Sheriff's Department is asking wanted people to turn themselves in to law enforcement on what they call Wanted Wednesdays.

According to a press release from the Sheriff's Department, wanted persons who turn themselves in will be brought directly before a magistrate and given the opportunity to post bond.

The initiative aims to reduce detention costs, reduce the risk of wanted persons being incarcerated during off-peak magistrates' court hours and reduce the risk of wanted persons being arrested in the middle of the night.

The Berkeley County Sheriff's Department accepts information about wanted persons through an anonymous online tip on its webpage at