MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A former Jefferson County resident has been sentenced to more than ten years for defrauding an elderly man of nearly 2 million dollars.
The US Attorney’s office reports Samuel Kristofer Bunner, 51, formerly of Ranson, West Virginia, was sentenced Monday to a total of 121 months in federal prison.
US Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia William Ihlenfeld says Bunner defrauded an elderly man who suffered from dementia:
Ihlenfeld told the Panhandle News Network about the scope of the fraud:
Bunner pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in February 2024.
According to court documents, Bunner defrauded the victim of $1,906,229 by selling his real estate, emptying his investment and bank accounts, and opening a credit card in his name. Bunner used the money taken from the victim for his benefit, purchasing homes, campers, cars, and hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of consumer goods.
Bunner has been ordered to pay $1,906,229 in restitution to the victim, although Ihlenfeld says the full amount will likely never be recovered. He says it has impacted the level of care for the victim:
US Attorney William Ihlenfeld
Ihlenfeld says the victim is being cared for as his health has declined, but says the level of care he had saved for in his younger years was greatly diminished due to the fraud that drained his financial resources.
Bunner will serve 5 years of supervised release following his prison sentence. His wife is his co-defendent. Wendy Bunner will be sentenced at a later date.
