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A Walton County man appointed in 2018 as a plenary guardian to a totally incapacitated individual is now accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from him.
64-year old Ray Anthony Hughes of Defuniak Springs is being held in the Walton County Jail on an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office warrant for exploitation of a disabled adult, a second degree felony.
An OCSO investigator says Hughes, who was given authority over the man and his estate due to the man’s incapacitation, deprived the victim of up to $88,000 over a two and a half year period, depleting the man’s bank account of his Veterans Administration Disability payments. More than $74,000 of the cash withdrawals were deposited directly into Hughes personal checking account.
Health care managers at a care facility for the disabled man say Hughes never visited the victim during the two years the victim was there, nor did he contribute to his spending account. They reported if the disabled man needed shoes or clothing, staff members typically contributed their personal funds to purchase the items.
The OCSO Investigator says Hughes also deprived the victim of his share of an estate, totaling about $13,000, and is believed to have used the money to help pay for a pickup truck.
Hughes will be transferred to the Okaloosa County Jail in Crestview.
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