(Wilmington, DE): Attorney General Carl C. Danberg announced today that Ricky Hood
appeared before Judge Babariaz for sentencing today in Superior Court. Hood was sentenced
to 8 years incarceration and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $600,000.
In April, 2005, Donna Morales, daughter of the victim Donald Doerfler, called the
Delaware Attorney General’s Office’s Special Investigations – Financial Exploitation / Elder
Abuse Unit and reported that while visiting her father at his Delaware residence, she found
him incoherent and his residence in indecent condition. She removed him from the residence
and placed him in a nursing home. After obtaining a Power of Attorney, Morales began
reviewing Doerfler’s financial papers and found out that his money market account had been
depleted and his stocks had been sold. Morales further reported that she found checks in
excessive amounts over the past year which had been written to Ricky Hood. Hood was her
father’s handy man for the last 25 years and was supposedly taking care of him.
After reviewing bank records, the investigator for the Attorney General’s Office was able
to determine that Hood took over $800,000.00 from the victim’s various accounts.
Hood was indicted and subsequently pled guilty in Superior Court to Financial
Exploitation of an Infirmed Adult and Felony Theft over $100,000.00.
Attorney General Carl Danberg said “We remain committed to the protection of our
senior citizens by investigating abuse and financial exploitation cases and vigorously
prosecuting those who take advantage of Delaware’s elderly residents.”
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