Matthew Bligh, 31, of Warrenton, was charged with the fraudulent use of a debit card and financial exploitation of an elderly person on April 14. Both charges are felonies.
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Matthew Bligh, 31, of Warrenton, was charged with the fraudulent use of a debit card and financial exploitation of an elderly person on April 14. Both charges are felonies.
A witness reported suspicious activity on the 75-year-old victim’s bank statements from May, June, July and August of 2024, according to the probable cause statement filed by Detective James Plackemeier.
The report also stated the victim does not drive and needs help getting groceries every week.
According to the probable cause statement, the victim provided Bligh with her debit card to purchase groceries from Wal-Mart. Plackemeier stated between June 24, 2024 and Aug. 5 2024 Bligh, along with his fiance, used the debit card to make purchases at businesses and withdrawals from ATMs 24 times totaling roughly $3,300.
During an interview with Bligh, he said he made the withdrawals “to have some extra cash” and during a separate interview with suspect 2, she said she and Bligh made the withdrawals together because they thought they could get away with it, according to the probable cause statement.
Bligh has an initial appearance hearing scheduled for May 28.
