Andrea Brawley, 46, of Conover, N.C., was sentenced today to 48 months
in prison followed by three years of supervised release for stealing more than $300,000 from her
elderly relatives, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North
Carolina.
Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in North
Carolina and Sheriff Donald G. Brown II of the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office join U.S.
Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to court documents and court proceedings, from August 2016 to January 2023, Brawley
engaged in a scheme to defraud the elderly couple identified in court documents as J.S. and M.S., by
exploiting her relationship with the victims to steal their money and property. Brawley gained
access to the victims’ personal and company bank accounts, which she was expected to use to
manage the couple’s personal and business affairs and to pay routine bills. Instead, Brawley misused
her access to transfer funds to herself, causing the victims to sustain significant financial losses. For
example, Brawley failed to make payments due on the victims’ home equity line of credit on their
residence. As a result, the victims’ residence went into foreclosure and the couple lost their home.
Brawley also drained the victims’ retirement accounts by forging retirement distribution forms
without the victims’ knowledge and consent, causing them further financial hardship. Over the
course of the scheme, Brawley defrauded J.S. and M.S. and M.S.’s company of more than $300,000.
According to court records, Brawley concealed the fraudulent scheme from J.S. and M.S. by making
false representations about the cause of the foreclosure and about the state of J.S. and M.S.’s
finances and personal affairs. Brawley also isolated J.S. and M.S. and limited their contact with their
friends and family by taking the victims’ cell phones, impersonating them in communications with
third parties, transporting them to various locations around the state, and preventing them from
returning to their residence. In furtherance of the scheme, Brawley engaged in identity theft by using
and attempting to use one or more means of identification that belonged to J.S. and M.S., including
their names, addresses, and unique account numbers.
On November 28, 2023, Brawley pleaded guilty to wire fraud. She is currently released on bond and
will be ordered to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In sentencing Brawley, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell described the defendant’s cond
Menu