STATESVILLE, N.C. — A Statesville man has been charged after he tried to swindle his elderly neighbor out of money and their home, according to Iredell County deputies.
Sheriff Darren Campbell said a report was filed with the sheriff’s office last August which stated that 50-year-old William Christopher Giles had kidnapped his elderly neighbor. When deputies responded, they found that the elderly victim was not kidnapped but had been taken to a financial institution to alter bank accounts.
Over the course of a lengthy investigation, deputies found that Giles was using his position of trust as a neighbor to the elderly victim to siphon money out of the victim’s financial account, create new accounts, and attempt to purchase the victim’s home.
Investigators determined that Giles knew about the victim’s compromised mental capacity and elderly status during the incident.
Giles was charged with one count of felony exploitation of an older or disabled adult, according to deputies. He was taken into custody at the Iredell County Detention Center where he was processed and given a $50,000 secured bond.
