El Paso man sentenced to 14 years in prison for draining uncle and aunt’s bank account
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Jesus Rodriguez De La Cruz, 46, was sentenced to 14 years in state prison for stealing thousands of dollars from his aunt and uncle's bank accounts.
Rodriguez pleaded guilty to two counts of Financial Abuse of an Elderly Person, two counts of Exploitation of an Elderly Person, and one count of Theft of Property.
Prosecutors say Rodriguez's uncle and aunt alerted police in February 2023 that $73,000 had been drained from their account. The uncle reported to police that Rodriguez's name was listed on the transactions that drained the account. The uncle said the transactions were unauthorized. Rodriguez worked as his uncle and aunt's financial adviser, and had access to their banking information.
"The couple had also lent him $60,000 prior to discovering the missing money, but checks Rodriguez made out as a repayment were later found to be fake," a spokesperson for the El Paso District Attorney's Office explained.
Rodriguez was sentenced to 12 years in prison earlier this year in a separate fraud case.
"An investigation uncovered that in 2022, Rodriguez had used the money on luxury vehicles, retail shopping sprees, and extravagant vacations, including a trip to Mexico City during the Formula 1 Racing championship," the spokesperson explained. "Rodriguez had previously lost his job at Morgan Stanley after it was learned he defrauded clients of millions of dollars over a three-year period."
