An inmate at Old Colony Correctional Facility and his wife have been indicted for allegedly defrauding an elderly man out of over $10,000. Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz announced that Brian Vines, the inmate, and his wife Shayna O'Leary, reportedly promised the victim non-existent legal services.
Inmate And Wife Indicted On Charges They Ran Scheme To Defraud Victim Of Over $10,000 pic.twitter.com/SMhWnGs0gT
— DA Tim Cruz (@PlymouthCtyDAO) November 5, 2024
The grand jury on this day brought charges against Vines for Larceny by False Pretense Over $250 and Conspiracy and indicted O'Leary for Unauthorized Practice of Law; despite being behind bars, Vines allegedly concocted the con, claiming his wife was a seasoned criminal attorney who had the capabilities to significantly reduce the prison sentence of the victim's son, Vines and O'Leary did not let up, it is said, working in tandem via phone calls and fake documents, they misled the victim until August 2023 when suspicions from the victim’s family prompted investigation leading to the intervention by the Department of Corrections.
The deceit centered around an 86-year-old man who was led to believe that O'Leary, who is not a licensed attorney, could downgrade his other son's Second-Degree murder conviction to Manslaughter, as Cruz's announcement stated. The elderly victim, in faith and desperation, handed over substantial funds in hopes of securing an early release for a loved one that is, in fact, ineligible for parole until 2033.
Ongoing contact, including numerous phone calls and provision of counterfeit legal documents, wove a net of false hope around the victim who, according to the indictment, relinquished more than $10,000 to O'Leary—a non-attorney—under the guise of legal fees, not realizing the grim truth that his kin’s early release was never on the table, Massachusetts Department of Corrections Investigative Services Unit initiated the investigation following allegations and suspicions from the aggrieved family.
Assistant District Attorney Alexander Zane is set to prosecute the case following an investigation by Joshua Malonson of the Massachusetts Department of Correction, Office of Investigative Services (OIS).
