Florida woman schemed, stole life savings from seniors, family, friends

FLORIDA — A Florida woman is looking at a lengthy prison sentence after she was found guilty on charges related to stealing nearly $2 million from family and friends, including senior citizens, Attorney General Ashley Moody said in a statement.

Moody announced that her Office of Statewide Prosecution secured a 25-year prison sentence for the woman, who she said stole from eight Florida seniors, including a retired police officer.

A jury found Susan Anderson guilty of conducting identity theft and fraudulent schemes, the statement said. At the sentencing, Judge Steven Toner noted that the facts of the case were some of the most horrific that has ever been presented in his courtroom.

“This woman lied about having terminal cancer and forced her family to beg for money from friends to help pay for treatment she didn’t need and never received. Her lies convinced eight Florida seniors to deplete their life savings in order to help her,” Moody said.

“These are appalling crimes, but thanks to my Office of Statewide Prosecution, she will now serve 25 years behind bars for ripping off Florida seniors.”

According to an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Anderson used multiple schemes from May 2017 to August 2020 to defraud family and friends—stopping only when incarcerated on unrelated charges.

Victims testified to losing all life savings to the schemes. Some victims could not pay for utility bills, including electricity and water—even having to borrow buckets of water from neighbors to fill toilets.

The first scheme reportedly involved Anderson convincing her parents that an identity thief targeted the family business, supposedly causing the need to hire a trusted local Hillsborough County attorney to solve the problem.

Anderson is said to have tricked the victims into paying large sums of money by fabricating emails from the attorney, creating fraudulent court documents, clerk of court receipts, and acting as other official organizations, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to the announcement, Anderson also manufactured fraudulent emails from a doctor claiming to diagnose Anderson with terminal cancer. She then allegedly asked her family to help pay for the chemotherapy treatment.

Once totally out of money, to the point of losing their house, the family reported that they begged neighbors and friends for money for the treatment. A doctor never diagnosed Anderson with cancer, according to Moody’s statement.

“This is one of the most egregious fraud cases our agents have ever investigated at FDLE. Anderson’s compulsive lying, lack of remorse and scheming behavior hurt her own family and friends and led her to a lengthy prison sentence,” said Mark Glass, Commissioner, Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

“I thank our agents for their great investigative work on this case and AG Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution for ensuring this suspect spends a long time behind bars.”

Following prosecution by Attorney General Moody’s OSP, Anderson pled open to the following first-degree felonies, hoping for a better sentence from the court: one count of organized scheme to defraud, three counts of first-degree grand theft on persons 65 years of age or older and three counts of second-degree grand theft on persons 65 years of age or older.

The judge sentenced Anderson to 25 years in the Florida Department of Corrections, followed by five years of probation.