Houston crime: Mother-son duo charged in $1 million elder fraud scheme, pretended to be nurse and lawyer
HOUSTON - A mother and son duo have been charged in connection to a fraud scheme in which they allegedly tricked an elderly couple out of over $1 million, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Regina Lynn Thomas, also known as Nikki Laday, was arrested and made her initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge who ordered her into custody pending a detention hearing.
Officials said Regina Thomas, and her son, 38-year-old Isaiah Thomas are both charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 67 counts of wire fraud.
Authorities said the indictment alleged that Regina Thomas pretended to be a nurse and assisted a couple with caring for an elderly patient. The couple allegedly allowed her to live at their home while they were out of the country for work.
Regina Thomas then told the couple that federal authorities wanted them in connection for Federal Emergency Management Agency fraud and provided them with whom she claimed was an attorney, according to the charges. However, officials said, that individual was allegedly not a real attorney.
The indictment alleges the couple believed they were paying for the attorney's services. However, the money was allegedly deposited into Isaiah Thomas' account, who shared the funds with his mother.
If convicted, both face up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine for each count.