Month: May 2026

By Carson Zorn

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    NAPLES, Florida (WBBH) — U.S. Marshals caught a Pennsylvania fugitive living in the woods in Naples on Wednesday.

According to a press release, Joseph Christopher Mazzoni, 46, had been wanted since March 9 by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office for dissemination of child sex acts and sexual abuse material.

The release said that Mazzoni is a twice-convicted sex offender who was previously convicted of possession of child pornography in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Mazzoni was required to register as a Tier 3 Sex Offender under Megan’s Law.

Marshals believed Mazzoni was living in Florida and receiving assistance to avoid detection from law enforcement.

A search warrant was executed on Wednesday morning in the 2300 block of Crawford Avenue in Naples, as Marshals believed Mazzoni was residing on the property.

After a thorough search, Marshals found Mazzoni living in the woods behind the home, the release said. He was taken to the Collier County Jail, where he awaits extradition back to Pennsylvania.

“The U.S. Marshals Service has zero tolerance for sexual predators preying on children; as Mr. Mazzoni learned, going entirely off of the grid in a different state offers no respite from the relentless pursuit of justice,” Eric Gartner, United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, said.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Allen Cone

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    BOYNTON BEACH, Florida (WPBF) — Two women are accused of a pickpocketing scheme targeting older adults for seven months, the Boynton Beach Police Department said Thursday.

The suspects, identified as 59-year-old Mavis Johnson of West Palm Beach and 57-year-old Tammy Evans of Boynton Beach, worked together to steal victims’ wallets at Ross Dress for Less and Dollar Tree in a shopping plaza at 2234 N. Congress Ave., police said. They then attempted to steal credit cards at various Target and Publix locations in Palm Beach and Broward counties, according to the arrest report.

Mavis Johnson used disguises in a pickpocketing scheme targeting elderly shoppers at Ross and Dollar Tree stores in Boynton Beach, police say. They are facing charges of unlawful possession of a stolen credit/debit card, theft of a credit card, fraudulent use of personal identification information and an organized scheme to defraud a person older than 65.

Johnson was arrested March 11 for some charges and April 8 for other ones, with her next court appearance scheduled for July 1. She is being held on bond totaling $26,250.

Evans was arrested Wednesday with bond totalling $25,000 Thursday, and her next court appearance is scheduled for June 12.

They were on probation for committing various crimes that include fraud and grand theft.

During each theft, Johnson would disguise herself by wearing different outfits, wigs and medical masks, while Evans would act as the getaway driver, police said. They drove a silver Infiniti SUV.

On March 11, detectives located the getaway vehicle near Ross and the Dollar Tree on Congress Avenue.

BBPD detectives, recognizing the suspects’ pattern of theft, set up surveillance. Utilizing drones from the Real Time Crime Center, detectives confirmed that Evans was the driver of the vehicle. Shortly after, a heavily disguised Johnson was seen exiting the Dollar Tree and entering Ross.

Johnson was then observed leaving Ross and returning to the Dollar Tree. Simultaneously, BBPD communications received a call from a victim at Ross who advised that a wallet was taken from a purse.

Detectives maintained continuous surveillance of the pair as they left the area and headed toward the Target off Boynton Beach Boulevard.

The South Florida Criminal Apprehension Team joined BBPD detectives in conducting surveillance.

Johnson, wearing a new disguise, was then observed walking into Target and using multiple credit cards to purchase $100 gift cards.

Johnson was found to be in possession of the original victim’s credit card in the March 11 incident. And it was discovered that the gift cards were purchased with credit cards from another victim who was at the Dollar Tree.

Evans told investigators she was only driving Johnson to various locations and was unaware of her activities.

Johnson admitted to investigators that she committed the theft and fraudulent use of credit cards and said Evans was not involved.

The arrest report lists thefts starting Oct. 24 at Ross. Other reported thefts were on Sept. 4 at Dollar Tree, Sept. 24 at Dollar Tree, Oct. 15 at Dollar Tree, Oct. 23 at Ross, Jan. 9 at Dollar Tree and Feb. 14 at Dollar Tree.

“The Boynton Beach Police Department encourages shoppers to remain aware of their surroundings and to keep a close eye on personal belongings while in public places,” the agency said. “Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of this pickpocketing scheme is urged to contact the BBPD by calling 561-742-6100.”

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By Marcie Cipriani

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    PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (WTAE) — Susan Larkin, 80, is accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a 75-year-old man she was supposed to be caring for, according to the Allegheny County district attorney, who also alleges she kept his family away to carry out the crimes.

When Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 visited Larkin at her Central North Side home Wednesday, she answered the door but refused to comment on the charges.

“She is being wrongfully accused,” said Larkin’s attorney, Phil DiLucente.

Court documents state Larkin met the man online, and he moved from Alaska to Pittsburgh in 2023 to be closer to his children. Detectives say he eventually moved in with Larkin, and that’s when investigators say the crimes began. Police claim Larkin secretly took over as the man’s power of attorney and prevented his children from attending his doctor’s appointments. The district attorney said this was Larkin’s way of hiding the man’s deteriorating mental state so she could access his money.

“The numbers that I saw initially were close to a million dollars. The gentleman is 75 years old. He was on the early stages of dementia. A woman gets his confidence, transfers a POA from his son to her own account,” District Attorney Stephen Zappala said.

Zappala said Larkin then gained access to the man’s bank accounts and used his money for personal expenses. Court documents allege she withdrew $220,000 from his account when she realized his children were trying to take the power of attorney back.

“Criminals work at this all the time. Powers of attorney are about trust. Guardianships are about trust. And when you’re older, and you trust somebody, that’s what we see. That’s senior abuse by definition,” Zappala said.

The man’s children have since regained power of attorney and moved their father out of Larkin’s home, but detectives are still tracking the money, Zappala said.

DiLucente, however, said the accusations against his client are false.

“My client loves this man greatly, has been with him for numerous years, and to now be attacked like this, I’m very disappointed. I really am,” DiLucente said.

Larkin faces several charges, including theft and access device fraud. She is free on a nonmonetary bond and is scheduled to appear in court in July.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.