PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Scott P. Haines, 49, of Milton, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple counts of wire fraud and making false statements to federal agents, announced Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. Haines made his initial appearance in federal court to face the charges on January 25, 2022.
The federal indictment alleges that, between January 2015 and May 2021, Haines engaged in a scheme to defraud an elderly victim out of over $10,000. The scheme, as articulated in the indictment, is alleged to be based upon Haines’s attempt to obtain the money after inserting himself into the personal and business affairs of the victim. The indictment also alleges that, when confronted with these allegations by federal agents, Haines made multiple material false statements about his relationship in the personal and business affairs of the victim.
In addition to the federal indictment, Haines was arrested on state charges of exploitation of an elderly person or disabled adult, theft from a person 65 years of age or older, and unauthorized access of a computer system or network. He appeared in state court after his initial appearance in federal court in Pensacola in order to be advised of the charges against him.
Trial in the federal case has been set for March 7, 2022, at 8:30 a.m., at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before the Honorable M. Casey Rodgers.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg and Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Karen C. Murillo.
