Man Gets 15 Years For Defrauding 79-Year-Old

SEBRING - By the time Gary Christopher Ingmire Jr. gets out of prison, his victim will be 94 years old and the con artist will owe her some serious money.

Judge Peter Estrada sentenced Ingmire, 27, of Sebring, to 15 years in prison Thursday morning at the Highlands County Courthouse, on a count of scheming to defraud more than $50,000, for borrowing money from a 79-year-old Sebring woman over a two-and-a-half-year period.

"A crime against an elderly person is not only a crime against the person," said Estrada as he was rendering Ingmire's sentence. "It's a crime against society."

According to court records, Ingmire's scheme started in April 2003 when the handyman completed work at the victim's residence. Reports state that approximately one week later Ingmire returned to the victim's residence and befriended her.

Records state that Ingmire began borrowing money from the victim in the form of cash and checks, and claimed to have $350,000 in a trust account that was left to him by his grandfather. Ingmire told the victim he needed the money to pay for several paternity tests in order to receive the money.

Ingmire obtained approximately $77,790.50 from the victim during their acquaintance. The victim told authorities that she would have never loaned the money to Ingmire had she known that he did not have the ability to pay it back.

Ingmire was arrested in July 2006, and had reached a plea agreement with prosecutors on how to repay the victim. However, on June 27, Ingmire, who was free on bond, failed to appear at court for sentencing and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Prosecutors decided to throw out Ingmire's plea after he failed to appear in court.

During Thursday's sentencing, Ingmire's defense attorney Steve Kackley, of Sebring, argued that his client's failure to appear was a mistake and that if his client was placed in prison he would have no chance to repay his victim.

Kackley offered several options to Estrada, saying that if Ingmire was placed on probation, he would be willing to pay $1,000 per month in restitution to the victim.

Prosecutor John Kromholz argued that Ingmire had no real plans to repay the victim.

"My first impression of this case was that it was disgusting," said Kromholz to Estrada. "And the defendant has no real way of making restitution."

Kromholz went on to say that the victim now lives with her daughter because Ingmire drained her of her entire life's savings.

Ingmire will have 30 days to file an appeal.