A Pekin man has been sentenced to a two-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to charges of defrauding an elderly man out of nearly $100,000. 42-year-old Deryl Wright will spend most of that time in prison. His sentence includes another three years of supervised release and repayment of the money he swindled, with interest. That amounts to nearly $100,600 in addition to court fines and fee.
Judge Joe Billy McDade says Wright’s sentence takes into account the likelihood he would repeat such behavior. In a jailhouse phone call Wright said the swindle was, “well worth it.”
He is one of 250 defendants across the country charged in what is being considered the largest coordinated law enforcement effort to combat elder fraud.
Wright pleaded guilty in November to three felony counts of wire fraud. Prosecutors say he falsely claimed he was due to receive an inheritance and asked 66-year-old retired man with a mental condition to loan him money Wright said he needed to collect. Prosecutors say there was no inheritance and that Wright never repaid the victim, who exhausted his life savings.
