LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — A west Michigan man has been sentenced for embezzling more than $300,000 from an elderly widowed woman, according to the state Attorney General's office.
Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Wednesday 57-year-old Gary "Duke" Haynes, of Comstock Park, was sentenced last week for "conducting a criminal enterprise and embezzling from a vulnerable adult."
Haynes met the woman when she was 85 years old and was allowed access to her computer, financial accounts and passwords, officials say.
Haynes had access to the victim’s money for more than 10 years and used his relationship of trust with the victim to influence her financial decisions. He also took money from her accounts and used it to benefit himself and his companies, Senior Planning Resource and Future By Design.
Over the course of four years, he transferred more than $300,000 from the woman's accounts into his company accounts. In 2016, the victim became suspicious when she asked Haynes about money he was supposed to invest in an annuity in her name. The woman asked her nephew to intervene, who reported the information to the local police department, officials say.
Haynes was charged in May 2018 with 14 felony counts for embezzlement and was convicted of the following:
- One felony count of conducting a criminal enterprise, punishable by up to 20 years and/or $100,000;
- One felony count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult $100,000 or more, punishable by up to 20 years and/or $50,000;
- Eight felony counts of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult $1,000-$20,000, punishable by up to five years and/or $10,000; and
- Four felony counts of Taxes-Failure to File/False Return, punishable by up to five years and/or $5,000.
He was sentenced to 90 months to 20 years in prison on the criminal enterprise and embezzlement charges. He was also sentenced to 30 months to five years in prison on the 12 additional counts, officials say. The time is to be served concurrently.
