Mother and son indicted for financial hate crime

KINGSTON – A mother and her son have been indicted by an Ulster County grand jury in connection with a financial fraud and identity theft committed against a 77-year-old resident of Gardiner.

Stephanie Melton, 49, was charged with grand larceny as a hate crime. Travis Pettit, 28, was indicted on two counts of forgery and one county of identity theft.

If convicted, Melton could face up to five to 15 years in state prison, and Pettit could face 2 1/3 to seven years in prison.

Melton is the victim’s daughter, and Pettit is Melton’s son and the grandson of the victim.

The victim had suffered a stroke and her daughter, Melton, offered to take care of her financial needs and obligations. She was granted access to the victim’s bank account solely for that purpose.

Melton, however, exploited and abused the victim’s condition and bank account by making online purchases for herself and conducting wire transfers to herself and her son’s girlfriend over the course of some 10 months.

By the time the victim became aware of the fraud through her bank, she had lost thousands of dollars.

During the same time, Pettit forged his grandmother’s signature to take out a Progressive car insurance policy by pretending to be the victim and electronically signing her name, which he then used to insure his own vehicles. He also registered a vehicle he purchased with the DMV by attesting that the victim’s policy would ensure that care under an already existing Geico policy.

Both acts were done without the permission or knowledge of the victim.

District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji said the abuse of an elderly or disabled individual is “morally depraved and criminal.” He said it is not just a financial crime, “as it violates the dignity and any sense of financial security and psychological well-being of the victim.”

He said it could also sometimes contribute to deterioration of health.”