ORANGE PARK, Fla. – An Orange Park couple is accused of stealing over $120,000 from their elderly father who was recovering in the hospital from a motorcycle crash.
David Shaun McKee, 39, and Christina Lee McKee, 36, were arrested July 28 on charges of exploiting a disabled person, grant theft and fraudulently using credit cards.
According to the Clay County Sheriff's Office, David McKee's 77-year-old father was involved in a motorcycle crash in April 2014 and had to stay in the hospital for more than a year.
During that time, deputies said, the 77-year-old allowed his daughter-in-law to have power of attorney, but she and her husband never paid his eight credit card accounts or his mortgage.
Between May 2014 and March 2016, investigators said, the couple spent money at restaurants, grocery stores, nail salons and on online internet gaming -- totaling more than $117,000.
The arrest reports said the couple also sold the victim's motorcycle for $3,000 -- pocketing more than $120,000 in total.
News4Jax spoke Thursday with an attorney who said the victim could take action.
"Now that these persons are facing criminal charges, there may be the pursuit of restitution. And if they have the ability to come up with any of these monies, of course he can pursue it that way. We would also suggest to them to look into contacting the creditors and explaining to them the circumstances. He now has a police report and those are things that maybe the creditor can look at to address his credit. And the same thing with the credit reporting agency and any debtors that he owes," said attorney Rhonda Peoples-Waters.
Peoples-Waters also shed light on the defenses that the couple could use in court.
"Listen, we sacrificed our normal ability to go out, and work, to be able to go out and provide for our father and father-in-law. So this was just our payment for the services that we were providing to him," Peoples-Waters said.
The couple is being held on a $400,000 bond each at the Clay County Jail.