Elgin police: Man stole from blind, 95-year-old woman

An Elgin man who lived near a 95-year-old blind woman apparently helped himself to roughly $50,000 of her hard-earned cash, police said Friday.

Police say that over a period of 13 months, John M. Jefferson somehow obtained approximately 30 checks the woman had unwittingly signed, wrote them out to himself and cashed them.

Her family hired a financial institution to review the woman’s account and that was how they discovered the thefts, Elgin Police Spokeswoman Sue Olafson said, adding that it’s not yet known how Jefferson spent the money. Police say the check-writing spree started April 3, 2010 and ended May 24, 2011.

Jefferson, 59, of the 700 block of Jefferson Avenue, has been charged with financial exploitation of a person 80 years or older, financial exploitation of a person over 70 years, financial exploitation of an elderly/disabled person and theft by deception.

His bail was set Friday at $250,000, and he needs to post $25,000 to secure his release while the case is pending. He was unable to post bond and remained behind bars in the Kane County lockup as of Friday afternoon.

Jefferson is due in court July 21 at the Kane County Judicial Center. If found guilty of the most serious charges, he could spend between 4 and 15 years in prison.