By John Tozzi
Shirley Miller, 43, pleaded guilty to grand larceny and attempted grand larceny in October 2005 in connection with conning more than $500,000 from four elderly men between 1998 and 2004 by telling them bogus stories about personal hardship, including that she needed money for cancer treatment, that her parents had been killed and that she needed money to start a business. The charges were classified as hate crimes under state law because Miller targeted her victims because of their age, Queens DA Richard Brown said in a statement.
Miller was arrested in Florida in September 2004 and extradited to Queens. The original 11-count indictment could have landed her up to 25 years in jail, according to the DA's office.
