Florida woman indicted for scheme to steal from elderly West Virginia man

MARTINSBURG, W.Va (WDTV) – A Florida woman has been indicted for a scheme to steal from an elderly West Virginia man who suffered from dementia.

47-year-old Wendy Bunner, of Spring Hill, Florida, was indicted on Wednesday for money laundering and lying to a federal agent, according to federal officials.

Bunner is alleged to have aided and abetted her husband, Samuel Bunner, in obtaining a $280,318.73 cashier’s check from a United Bank account belonging to the victim in order to purchase real property in Charles Town, West Virginia.

Wendy Bunner is also charged with lying to a federal agent about the sale of a condominium in Hawaii that once belonged to the victim.

Samuel Bunner was originally charged in May with wire fraud, bank fraud, identity theft, and money laundering.

Florida man indicted for stealing millions from elderly West Virginia man

He is now joined by his wife in a superseding indictment which alleges that together they befriended the victim when all three were living in Charles Town.

Authorities say Samuel Bunner obtained a power of attorney from the victim and then he and Wendy Bunner used it to enrich themselves by selling the victim’s real estate, emptying his investment and bank accounts, and opening a credit card in his name, causing a total alleged loss to the victim of more than two million dollars.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eleanor Hurney is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

The Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida and FBI-Tampa assisted with the matter.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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