Lafayette man arrested for stealing $500k from infirmed person

ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. (KLFY) – A Lafayette man was arrested after he allegedly exploited an infirmed person totaling over $500,000 in theft.

According to the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office, the Elderly Affairs Division received a complaint from a woman saying her nephew was exploiting her and her home was being foreclosed.

An investigation found that Gregory T. Red went to the victim's home in 2017 and told her to co-sign a loan to secure his home from foreclosure. Red was also with an unknown woman. The victim complied, fearing for her nephew. The victim claimed there were no witnesses to the signing, but the loan documents showed a notary public and 2 witnesses were present and signed the documents.

In 2019, Red returned to the victim's home with more documents. The victim was also told she would have to go to bankruptcy court due to signing for the original loan. During the hearing, the victim learned that her home was used as collateral for a $250,000 loan and she was the debtor. Red demanded she sign more documents as he filed for Chapter 11 and Chapter 13. During the filing procedures, another family member learned that the victim was filing for bankruptcy. The victim states she was not filing and wasn't having financial problems.

After the victim hired an attorney, she learned she was also listed as president for two different companies and that a business bank account was opened at a local bank without her knowledge and she denied depositing or withdrawing from the account.

Detectives questioned the notary public, who claimed that she would not have done the job without witnesses being present. Detectives questioned one of the witnesses, who claimed they were not at the home wit a second witness when any documents were signed, as well as denying the signature belonged to them.

Detectives uncovered information that confirmed that a mortgage was taken against the victim's home for $250,000, credit cards with a total limit of $13,800 and a vehicle loan for $47,373. The victim was also listed as a guarantor on Red's residence that was foreclosed on in 2024, which left the victim responsible for another $230,000 loan. In total, Red left the victim with over $540,000 in debt.

An arrest warrant for Gregory T Red, 62, was issued on Tuesday on charges of exploitation of the infirmed, mortgage fraud, credit card fraud by person authorized to provide good and services and theft in excess of $500,000. Tuesday evening, St. Landry Parish Crime Stoppers posted about Red on their Facebook page. Soon after, information was received that led authorities to arrest Red at his home in Lafayette.

Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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