Man Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Scamming Elderly Drivers
VAN NUYS (CBSLA.com) — A scam artist was sentenced Wednesday to a decade in prison for staging traffic collisions and demanding thousands of dollars in compensation from elderly victims.
David Stevens, 42, pleaded not guilty in 2014 to multiple charges stemming from incidents between Oct. 25, 2013 and Jan. 6, 2014 in the San Fernando Valley.
"My blood pressure went up. I don't trust people now like I did," 93-year-old victim Lee Gormley said.
Police say Stevens targeted Gormley and at least nine other elderly people at upscale grocery stores, followed them as they drove away, honked to get their attention and then accused them of hitting his car.
"The worse case was when a victim gave an excess of $30,000 to this individual," LAPD Det. Marjan Mobasser said.
Restitution for the victims will be considered at a later date.
Police hope the case will raise awareness for seniors that these types of scams are common and those who believe they are being victimized should call 911.
