A Florida man was recently arrested for stealing thousands of dollars from his late mother’s estate, according to Sunshine State police.
According to Flagler County Sheriff’s Office records, Thomas Frazzetto, 56, is charged with one count of grand theft (larceny between $5,000 and $10,000) and uttering forged instruments.
The investigation began in December 2024, two months after Frazzetto’s mother died, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office earlier this week. According to law enforcement, the investigation stemmed from an alleged report of an attempt to cash an unauthorised cheque for $51,200.
“Further investigation revealed that Frazzetto had forged his late mother’s signature on not only this cheque but also three others that he successfully cashed within days of her passing,” according to the announcement.
Deputies allege that some illegal money transfers occurred shortly before the defendant’s mother died.
“Using investigative means, detectives determined that Frazzetto had made numerous unauthorised transactions totalling over $9,000, including a $2,000 transaction via Zelle the day prior to his mother’s death,” according to the news release. “According to a victim of the estate, Frazzetto’s mother would have been incapacitated during this time and unable to make the cash transfer.”
Investigators spoke with the defendant several days later.
The criminal complaint documents that initial discussion in great detail.
On December 9, 2024, Detective Lagana contacted Thomas Frazzetto via cellphone. Thomas explained his mother, Janet Sterry would leave him a couple signed checks to use if he was running errands and needed to pick up medicine or other things for her. Thomas acknowledged his aunt, and his stepbrother…were his mom’s executors. He also expressed his dislike for his aunt, He explained any checks he cashed were written before she passed away and cashed after she passed away. Thomas admitted to signing one check on her behalf of his mother Janet for $80.00 to pay the cleaning lady. He also stated his mother asked him to sign it. The entire conversation was audio recorded and added to the case file. I explained I would be looking into the case further and requesting bank records and would touch base with him at a later date if I had questions.
The detective then spoke with the aforementioned cleaning lady, but their stories appeared to be somewhat discordant.
“[S]he stated she did not receive the check because she was cancelled and didn’t clean due to Janet’s hospitalisation,” according to the complaint.
Later, authorities focused on two separate $600 withdrawals from the deceased woman’s bank account. When questioned, her son allegedly denied being responsible. According to the complaint, Frazzetto was caught on camera making those withdrawals.
Months have passed with little to show.
The defendant’s arrest warrant was issued earlier this month. He was apprehended on June 18 and is currently being held in the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility on a $10,000 bond.
“Stealing from a deceased family member is not only shameful, but also illegal,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement. “Our detectives did a great job building this case to ensure this ‘son of the year’ would be brought to justice.”
