Man, 85, Scammed Out Of Thousands By Young Woman
POMPANO BEACH (CBSMiami) - The old saying that "if something sounds good to be true it usually is" fits the alleged crimes of Gina Marks, 26.
According to the Broward Sheriff's Office, Marks befriended Clifford Rogerson, 85 at the time, on November 30, 2012 at a Walgreens in Pompano Beach. Rogerson loaned her $1 when she was short at the register and she asked for his name and phone number.
"I get home and she called me and said 'tomorrow I'll give you the dollar and take you to breakfast,'" said Rogerson, now 87. "That's how it all began."
According to investigators, the two held hands, kissed, and regularly dined together. Rogerson said that she was affectionate with him. She told him, Rogerson says, that she wanted to travel the world with him.
"I didn't want to believe that she was bad because I was looking for someone to go out with at that time," said Rogerson.
At some point, Rogerson began lending Marks money that she promised to repay after the sale of her father's business. As Rogerson's retirement account dissipated, she quickly disappeared.
Rogerson said he last heard from her in mid-February 2013, when she called from a blocked number and told him she no longer had a cell phone. BSO said Rogerson lent the woman over $20,000 over three months before reporting the crime in May 2013.
BSO described Marks as 5'5", 115 pounds, and may have a school-age child. She faces charges of grand theft and exploitation of the elderly.