Man Accused of Stealing from Widow Was Lured to Arrest

 A man accused of stealing more than $280,000 from a blind, deaf widow was tricked into going to the Newport Beach police station Wednesday, where he was arrested on several felony charges, the prosecutor in the case said.

"He reported his birth certificate lost, and they told him they found it," Deputy District Attorney Marc Labreche said.

, 41, of Costa Mesa, faces one felony count each of first-degree residential burglary, caretaker theft from an elder and fraudulently using an access card, as well as three felony counts of forgery, the Orange County district attorney's office said. He also faces sentence-enhancing allegations of causing more than $100,000 in losses, aggravated white-collar crime of more than $100,000 and property loss of more than $200,000.

Windsor, who was on parole in Vermont for domestic violence and fraud at the time of the alleged crimes, was expected to be arraigned Thursday. Prosecutors planned to seek $280,000 bail, Labreche said.

Authorities say Windsor's mother was a live-in caretaker for a woman identified as Edna M., a 98-year-old widow who suffered from dementia and was confined to her Newport Beach home. Windsor moved into the house without the woman's knowledge in 2007, according to the district attorney's office.

Windsor's mother does not at this time face any charges, but the investigation is ongoing, Labreche said.

Between August 2007 and December 2008, authorities say, Windsor depleted the woman's bank accounts and used her credit card. The money was used to buy two cars, a Tiffany & Co. engagement ring for Windsor's girlfriend, a sex swing and a classic record collection, among other things, the D.A.'s office said.

Windsor had Edna M. sign over power of attorney to him, authorities say. Medical experts later determined that the woman would not have understood what she was doing when giving Windsor control over her affairs.

Windsor is accused of attempting to change the trust on the woman's house, which had been paid off a half-century before, and take out a loan against it, the D.A.'s office said. The bank became suspicious and contacted adult protective services, the district attorney's office said.

Edna M. died of respiratory failure, pneumonia and senile dementia in 2009, according to the D.A.'s office. She was 99.

If convicted, Windsor could face nearly 12 years in prison.

The investigation in the case is ongoing. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Investigator Eric Akerlind at 714-347-8691.

— City News Service contributed to this report