Elderly man extorted for $25,000 after NC women convinced him he knew them
The woman said her name was Anna and that they knew each other... why didn’t the elderly man remember her?
He would eventually be convinced and surrender $25,000 to the woman and her partner, the Union County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Wednesday.
Sylvia Marks, 56, approached the man at a grocery story and convinced him over several weeks that he knew her and to let her move into his home, the sheriff’s office said. Another woman, Brittany Nicholas, 34, would also move in after Marks told the man she was her daughter.
The pair would steal items including several rings and Nicholas would end up assaulting the man, the sheriff’s office said. Both were found out after deputies were called to the man’s house after he told them to leave and they refused.
“When deputies arrived on scene, it became clear there was more to the incident than simple trespassing,” the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies also found the woman used the same tactics to extort an elderly woman only miles away, the sheriff’s office said. An arrest warrant said Marks sold a woman’s wedding ring with a half-karat diamond at a pawn shop for $300.
Marks and Nicholas were both charged with two counts of exploitation of an elder, conspiracy to commit a felony, and resisting an officer. Marks was also charged with obtaining property under false pretenses and misdemeanor larceny.
Nicholas was also charged with assault after investigators found the man had bruising on his arm.
Both are being held at the Union County Detention Center. Marks was given a $501,000 bond and Nicholas a $400,000 bond, the sheriff’s office said.
This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 11:19 AM.
