By Philip Newman
Two admitted con artists have been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to bilking an 88-year-old Queens woman out of more than $10,000 in what police called a ”found money” scheme.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown identified the defendants as Juanita Lamb, 58, of West Palisade Avenue in Englewood, N.J. and Deanna Rhett, 60 of West 145th Street in Manhattan.
Lamb pleaded guilty to third-degree grand larceny and third-degree criminal possession of stolen property on Nov.17, 2016.Queens Supreme Court Justice Robert Schwartz sentenced her to 2-1/2 to five years in prison. On Oct. 27, 2016 Rhett also pleaded guilty to third-degree grand larceny and Schwartz sentenced her to two to four years in prison.
A case against a third defendant is pending.
Brown said that according to the charges, an elderly woman was approached around 1:30 p.m. on the afternoon of Aug.1, 2015 at 77th Street and 31st Avenue in Jackson Heights by the defendant , who engaged the older woman in conversation. As they chatted they were approached by Rhett, who showed a purse filled with what appeared to be $100,000.
Rhett told the elderly woman she had found the money and would share it with the victim if she helped pay the taxes due on “found money.”
At that point Lamb drove up and offered to give the older woman a ride home, The three then concocted a plan to meet again to pay the taxes, then split the money,
On Aug. 3, 2015 thee three defendants picked up the older woman at her Queens home and drove her to the Queens County Savings Bank, where she went into the bank and withdrew $10,300 in cash. The trio drove her back home and said they needed identification to pay the taxes, but the woman discovered they had disappeared with her money when she came out with the papers.y.
The Police Organized Theft Squad said stopped the defendants’ car and a search revealed $3,100 on the door beneath the driver’s seat. Another $4,100 was on the floor of the front passenger seat as well as $3,100 discovered in the third defendant’s waistband. The police also found an assortment of wig wigs and $100 bills with the paper wrappers saying “for theatrical use.
