Ryan Powers

A Lehigh Acres man is accused of defrauding his elderly parents, according to authorities.

Ryan Powers, 40, of 710 North Ave., was arrested and charged on Dec. 20 with exploitation of an elderly person or disabled adult and breach of a fiduciary duty to an elderly person – third-degree felonies.

He has since been released from the Lee County Jail on $10,000?bond.

According to the Florida Attorney General’s Office, Powers opened a fraudulent bank account in his parents’ names in October 2015 and then made himself the power of attorney.

Social Security checks were deposited into the account and two debit cards were issued to Powers.

According to investigators, one debit card had been used at least 136 times from October 2015 to July at gasoline stations, pizza stores, auto parts stores, convenience stores, Wal-Mart and pawn shops.

Authorities said one of the victims discovered their debit card could not be used.

Investigators said Powers’ mother told them that they had never given their son permission to open the account.

The victims lost $6,466 in Social Security earnings.

Investigators said the parents bought Powers his home in 2013 with plans for him to remodel it so they could move in with him. That was when the father’s health began to fail in 2015.

They were moved into a nursing home instead, authorities said.

According to the arrest affidavit, Powers was to sell his parents’ home and use the proceeds to remodel his home. Instead, investigators said, he kept the $72,000.

On July 7, Powers’ father died.

As power of attorney, Powers is accused of failing to pay the funeral arrangements, causing his father to be cremated at a cost of $295 covered by a taxpayers’ fund.

Powers told authorities that he used the victims’ funds, but said he gave them a percentage of money every time he cashed a check, keeping the rest for his personal expenses without permission.

Authorities said Powers faces up to 10 years in prison and more than $10,000 in restitution.

He has a court date on Jan. 2.

The Florida Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit assisted in the investigation, along with the East District SET Team and Lee County Sheriff’s Office.