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Two accused of stealing thousands from man with dementia
A Milwaukee man and woman are accused of stealing thousands of dollars from a Pewaukee man with dementia.
PEWAUKEE, Wis. - A Milwaukee man and woman are accused of stealing thousands of dollars from a Pewaukee man with dementia. The accused are Andrae Dotson, 35, and Sylvia Campos-Jacobs, 27. They face the following criminal counts:
- Conspiracy to commit money laundering (Campos-Jacobs, Dotson)
- Conspiracy to commit fraud against financial institution (Campos-Jacobs, Dotson)
- Identity theft-financial gain (Campos-Jacobs, Dotson)
- Carrying a concealed knife (Dotson)
According to the criminal complaint, officers responded to a walk-in fraud complaint at the Pewaukee Police Department. A witness for the victim, who was reported to have dementia, indicated she noticed $1,000 in cash missing from the victim's freezer which she had stashed at the victim's request. The witness also noticed $500 missing from the man's wallet. The witness told police she was concerned that "that someone had been coming into (the victim's) home when she is not there." The witness said neighbors had pointed out that a dark-colored SUV was parked in the driveway late at night -- and that it was gone in the morning. The complaint says when the witness checked the victim's credit union account, thousands of dollars were missing. She indicated transactions involving this missing money started on Feb. 28. A bank statement shown to police "showed over $60,000 had been withdrawn from (the victim's) account in the last month," the complaint says. But the victim does not drive -- and the witness drives him everywhere.
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The complaint says investigators obtained still photos of the male suspect conducting "ATM withdrawals from (the victim's) account. The bank cameras obtained a photo of the suspect vehicle, which was the same vehicle used in all 58 withdrawals."
Andrae Dotson, Sylvia Campos-Jacobs
With the license plate in hand, investigators learned the vehicle was rented by defendant Dotson. Dotson had rented the vehicle from Feb. 14 through March 15. A driver's license photo of Dotson was compared to the ATM surveillance footage -- and investigators confirmed it was Dotson who was making the ATM withdrawals.
On March 21, while officers were at the victim's home, the victim's phone rang and a woman was on the line. That woman was later identified as defendant Campos-Jacobs. An officer listened in on the call -- and "heard Campos-Jacobs stating she loved (the victim) and she thought they were living together, and she did not think there would be any problems. While on the phone with the bank, Campos-Jacobs asked (the victim) for his social security number," the complaint says. As the conversation carried on, investigators were concerned the victim would provide sensitive information to Campos-Jacobs. Officers described the call as "very manipulative and misleading," the complaint says. Officers then took the victim to the police department -- while some officers remained on the scene to wait for Dotson and Campos-Jacobs to arrive.
A while later, Campos-Jacobs arrived at the victim's home. She left the residence a short time later and was arrested by officers. An officer on the case identified Campos-Jacobs as "the female he observed on surveillance video in the lobby with (the victim) on March 19, 2024 and in the car with Dotson during some of the ATM withdrawals," the complaint says.
At the same time, a high-risk traffic stop of Dotson was performed. During a search of that vehicle, "officers located two cellphones, a (credit) union receipt and a Wisconsin ID card for Campos-Jacobs. Officers also recovered $81,355.42 in U.S. currency on Dotson's person at the time of his arrest. Officers also located a knife with a 4-inch blade clipped onto his belt that was not seen by officers until he lifted up his shirt during the stop," the complaint says.
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In a statement to police, Campos-Jacobs told police the victim was "her boyfriend, they had been dating for three weeks, and that he had been giving her money," the complaint says. Campos-Jacobs also "stated she was going to take a trip with (the victim) to Vegas soon so they could get married."
When Dotson spoke with police, he "stated he is just a driver and that Campos-Jacobs gives him gas money, but he is just a "friend helping out a friend,'" the complaint says. Dotson stated "the cash located on his person was from doing Door Dash and that he did not trust banks," the complaint says. Dotson denied the money belonged to the victim.
Dotson and Campos-Jacobs made their initial appearances in Waukesha County court on Monday, March 25. Cash bond for Dotson was set at $50,000 – and $25,000 for Campos-Jacobs.