Man accused scamming co-worker with autism out of thousands in Greensburg
By Ed DiOrio
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GREENSBURG, Pa. (WTAE) — A man is accused of scamming his autistic coworker out of over $5,000. Scott Soles is charged with theft by deception, extortion, and unlawful taking.
“They’re just trying to get a friendship,” Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Steve Limani said. “They want to have friends. Somebody preyed upon that who worked with them.”
The victim, who remains unidentified, worked at Hillview Motors off Route 30 in Greensburg. He had worked there for years through his special needs school’s transition to work program.
“They’re doing what they can to provide and make the people feel worthy,” Limani said. “I think [Hillview Motors] should be applauded for taking on those individuals and helping them assimilate into life as best as they can.”
It was at the dealership where the autistic man met Soles. Police say in March, Soles started telling the victim that he’d introduce him to some new friends in exchange for cash.
“That’s the disgusting part of this case,” Limani said. “[Soles] was able to take advantage of somebody’s want for friendship. He was instructing the autistic gentleman to drop off the money into his vehicle so that other people wouldn’t see the hand-to-hand transaction of the money.”
Police say this went on for five months. Soles allegedly threatened the victim’s employment over text if the suspect wasn’t paid. By the time the victim’s family found out, the man had given away $5,370.
“[Soles] had him deleting text messages for months,” Limani said. “Our victim was doing it. He was doing that because he just wanted to make friends.
“They do it because they want to be accepted,” Dr. John Carosso, from the Autism Centers of Pittsburgh, said. “God bless them. This is so sad. Taking advantage of that want for social interaction is deplorable.”
Dr. Carosso has worked with people on the spectrum for three decades. He said this promise is one of the most vulnerable desires someone with autism can have.
“The vast majority, they really want to socialize,” Dr. Carosso said. “They want to have friends. They want to be engaged. They end up struggling socially, but not because they don’t want to. They oftentimes don’t pick up on social cues. They don’t pick up on nuisances.”
In July, the victim’s parents noticed texts from Soles on their son’s phone. That’s when they contacted the police, and an investigation was launched.
That led to Soles being taken into custody and charged earlier this week.
“The District Attorney’s Office is going to move forward with every possibility of getting this money back,” Limani said. “It’s a shame. It’s disgusting. I’m very disappointed that people would do something like that.”
“This [case] speaks to the importance of continuing that vigilance,” Dr. Carosso added. “You let your guard down, and these things can happen so easily.”
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