A Bradford man was sent to McKean County Jail for allegedly taking more than $36,000 from a Bradford Township resident.
Jesse Soble, 39, is charged with theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, access device fraud and financial exploitation of an older adult or a care-dependent person, all third-degree felonies.
According to the criminal complaint, in March, Bradford Township police were contacted by a resident about the theft of money from her bank account. She said she’d received a returned check for her property taxes saying insufficient funds when that shouldn’t be the case. No one else had permission to use her account or withdraw money, she said.
The victim received a printout of her account activity and found cash withdrawals that she had not permitted. She contacted Soble, who had been helping her “with paying her bills and making purchases for several years,” the complaint stated. He admitted to the victim that he had made ATM withdrawals of $600 and would pay her back, but said he hadn’t made any other withdrawals or purchases from her account.
Police investigated and found several checks written without the victim’s knowledge or consent, along with multiple cash withdrawals with a total loss to the victim of $36,288, the complaint stated.
Soble was arraigned Thursday before District Judge Rich Luther and remanded to jail in lieu of $25,000 bail. He is scheduled for Central Court on Nov. 30.
