SMITH COUNTY, Texas (KLTV) - The Smith County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of defrauding a 77-year-old woman of at least $200,000.
David Michael Nick, 37, is charged with financial abuse of the elderly.
Investigators believe Nick has exploited another $2 million from at least six other people, according to a Smith County Sheriff’s Office release.
The woman told investigators she noticed a significant amount of money missing from her account after Nick, a longtime friend, asked her to write a $34,000 check for his bail and the check bounced.
She told investigators she had written Nick about $200,00 in checks for a house-flipping venture but had yet to receive any return.
Investigators found the checks were deposited to Nick’s account and used for personal purposes, including a probation payment, the release states.
Further investigation identified around $2 million that investigators believe has been stolen from at least six other people, with more possible.
The sheriff’s office asks anyone who believes they may have been targeted by Nick to contact Detective Eakin at the Smith County Sheriff’s Office.