A thief stole the identity of the oldest man in America — a 112-year-old World War II veteran — and emptied his personal bank account on Friday, the Dallas Morning News reported.
"Someone set up a bogus account, got his Social Security number and accessed his personal checking account," Volma Overton, the third cousin of Overton, told the Dallas Morning News.
Volma said the stolen money was used to buy savings bonds with Treasury Direct over at least a couple of months. A police report on the incident was filed Friday.
"This is going to be a setback for Richard," Volma said. "It was a significant amount of money."
Although the news is grim, family members of the Austin, Texas, man say there is one bright spot.
Overton’s personal bank account was not connected to his GoFundMe page, which is used to pay for his around-the-clock in-home care. The page was set-up in December 2016 and has since raised more than $320,000, according to the report. A large portion of that money has already been spent on his care.
Volma told the paper the caregivers are a big part of the reason Overton is still alive.
Overton just celebrated his 112th birthday on May 11. He holds the title of the oldest man in America, as verified by the Gerontology Research Group.
Volma and a friend are working on sorting through Overton's finances. Meanwhile, Austin police are working closely with the family to solve the crime, according to published reports.
The Dallas Morning News explained how Overton likes to spend his days:
When the weather is nice, Overton sits on his front porch. His friends call it his "stage." He'll hum with the birds, snoop on his neighbors and wave at honking cars. Best of all, it's where he smokes most of his 12 daily cigars, and sometimes drinks his favorite drink, a whiskey and Coke.
