Connecticut antiques dealer who stole $2.1m as elderly man's agent and executor gets 66 months
David L. Johnson of Greenwich, who had pleaded guilty to money laundering, was sentenced on 30 October 2026 to 66 months in prison for stealing from an elderly victim and his estate while acting as his agent, executor and trustee.
David L. Johnson, 67, of Greenwich, Connecticut, was sentenced in Hartford by US District Judge Michael P. Shea to 66 months in prison and three years of supervised release, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut said on 30 October 2026. Johnson ran Antique Treasures LLC and Greenwich Auction, both based in Stamford. He pleaded guilty to money laundering on 21 July 2026.
According to the US Attorney's Office, in about October 2018 an elderly man named Johnson as his agent under a power of attorney, as executor under his will and as successor trustee of his trust. Johnson was not a beneficiary. The victim died in August 2020 at age 87. After the death, Johnson stole more than $436,000 from one of the victim's federal tax refund checks. The investigation found that he stole a total of $2,168,719.24 from the victim and the estate.
The judge ordered restitution of $1,025,056.36. Johnson is released on a $500,000 bond and must report to prison on 14 December. The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation.
Why it matters to AML professionals
People who hold a power of attorney or act as executor or trustee can move an older person's money with full legal authority, so theft by a trusted fiduciary can look like normal account activity. AML professionals who review elder accounts and estate accounts need to check whether the fiduciary's transactions actually serve the account holder or the estate.
Red flags in this case
- A newly appointed agent or executor moves funds from the older person's or estate's account to their own business or personal accounts
- Estate funds, such as a tax refund paid to a deceased person, are deposited somewhere other than an estate account
- Payments from a trust or estate do not match bills, beneficiaries or the administration of the estate
- A fiduciary who is not a beneficiary receives large or repeated transfers described as fees or reimbursements
If this landed in your queue
- Confirm the fiduciary's authority, such as the power of attorney, letters testamentary or trust deed, and who the beneficiaries are
- Review transfers from the elder or estate account to accounts linked to the fiduciary or their businesses
- Check whether large inflows, such as tax refunds, were credited to the correct estate or trust account
- Escalate for a SAR decision, and follow your institution's elder financial exploitation procedures
Key terms
- Power of attorney
- A legal document that lets one person act for another in financial or legal matters.
- Executor
- The person named in a will to manage and distribute a deceased person's estate.
- Restitution
- Money a court orders an offender to pay back to victims for their losses.
Interview angle
How would you spot elder financial exploitation by someone holding a valid power of attorney?
Explain that legal authority does not make every transaction legitimate: check whether payments benefit the account holder, look for transfers to the agent's own or business accounts, compare activity with the person's normal spending, and escalate under elder exploitation and SAR procedures.
Sources
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