Richard Dale Radcliffe, a former restaurant owner from Lake Sammamish, was sentenced on Mar. 10 in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 30 months in prison for wire fraud and filing a false tax return after stealing $515,000 from an elderly woman he befriended. The sentencing was announced by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd.
The case highlights the risks faced by vulnerable elderly individuals who may be targeted for financial exploitation by those they trust. According to court documents, Radcliffe developed a relationship with a widow living near his restaurant after learning of her wealth and took advantage of her cognitive decline.
U.S. District Judge Lauren King said at the sentencing hearing, “(The victim) trusted and believed that you would use her money for her care… You used your access and control over accounts to enrich yourself…. You exploited her for your gain to the tune of half a million dollars.” Floyd said, “This defendant ingratiated himself into the life of an elderly widow, encouraging her to make him and his family beneficiaries in her will. But he did not wait for her death to start taking her money – he raided her accounts to pay for his own luxuries. His callous conduct is deserving of this prison sentence.”
Radcliffe arranged for a friend to serve as power of attorney while maintaining access to the victim’s bank accounts and became beneficiary of her will shortly thereafter. He used funds from the victim’s accounts for personal expenses including real estate purchases, gambling, travel, and restaurant operations. He also convinced his friend acting as power of attorney to liquidate over $800,000 from the victim’s retirement account under false pretenses.
After the victim moved into assisted living and later passed away in November 2020, Radcliffe resisted paying for extra services she needed while moving into her waterfront home and inheriting her estate. Following her death, he attempted unsuccessfully to claim a life insurance benefit by posing as her deceased spouse—a move that led the insurance company to alert federal authorities.
Assistant United States Attorney Grace Zoller wrote that "at its core, this case is about taking advantage of someone in their most vulnerable state." W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office said: "It was exceptionally cold-hearted of Mr. Radcliffe to prey on this victim’s loneliness and age... But ultimately, Mr. Radcliffe’s greed caught up with him." Carrie Nordyke from IRS Criminal Investigation added: "While Mr. Radcliffe’s victim is, unfortunately, no longer with us, we’re glad the public knows her story... We hope this ruling gives pause to fraudsters who think they can escape accountability by targeting the vulnerable.”
Radcliffe will serve three years on supervised release following his prison term and must pay a $20,000 fine along with forfeiture totaling $515,000 and restitution of $124,000 to the IRS.
