A lesbian Las Vegas realtor tricked a 90-year-old man with dementia into thinking they were in a romantic relationship in order to scam him out of over half a million dollars.
Sophia Smith, 50, was convicted of exploiting Cornelius ‘Connie’ Hoffmans to buy an RV, buy a home and pay her gambling debts.
Hoffmans, a widower, believed the two were dating even though Smith – who won awards for her real estate sales – is openly gay.
Smith’s scam began with a donation from Hoffmans to her non-profit, the unfortunately-named Strong A.R.M. Foundation.
But the charity, which supposedly raised funds for underprivileged women and children, was a scam, with as many as 90 percent of donations going to Smith and her gambling habit.
Sophia Smith, 50, was convicted of exploiting Cornelius ‘Connie’ Hoffmans to buy an RV, buy a home and pay her gambling debts
Hoffmans, a widower, believed the two were dating even though Smith (pictured) is openly gay
Smith also bought a home for $275,000 using Hoffmans’ money, the Nevada court heard.
Clark County Deputy District Attorney Austin Beaumont said: ‘Ironically, her foundation’s name, Strong Arm Foundation, was used to effectively strong-arm Mr. Hoffmans into giving her that $638,223.56.’
The court saw social media images where Smith called Hoffmans her ‘best friend.’
Smith was named a ‘realtor with purpose’ in MyVegas Magazine’s 2021 ‘top 100 real estate professionals’ issue.
‘At some point in my friendship with Connie, I became a gamble-holic… In my addiction and losing money gambling, I became greedy,’ Smith said at her sentencing on Tuesday, as reported by KLAS.
‘In my addiction, I manipulated someone that loves me unconditionally just to feed my habit.’
Smith’s scam began with a donation from Hoffmans to her non-profit, the Strong A.R.M. Foundation
The charity, which Smith said raised funds for underprivileged women and kids, was a scam
Last month, Smith was found guilty of exploiting an older or vulnerable person, theft and credit card fraud.
She was sentenced to six months in jail and a suspended 12-to-30 year sentence to be served if she violates her five years of probation.
‘I’m sorry that I didn’t tell Connie I was gay, but most of all, I’m sorry for manipulating, deceiving and taking advantage of my best friend,’ Smith told the court.
Smith must also pay Hoffmans’ estate $300,000 in retribution.
Hoffmans’ family received the home and the RV after a civil lawsuit.