Mentally challenged woman defrauded: 2 arrested

ONTARIO, Calif. (KABC) -- Two Lake Elsinore residents were arrested Tuesday for defrauding a mentally challenged individual.

Sebre Amadee Abdul, 57, and Maria Elia Chavira, 48, were arrested during the service of a search warrant at their residence on the 53000 block of Memorial Street in Lake Elsinore at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

The suspects allegedly induced a mentally challenged adult Ontario woman into making multiple withdrawals from her bank account in the approximate amount of $10,000. Abdul allegedly then gambled away the money at an L.A. County casino.

Abdul and Chavira are accused of then transporting the victim to seven different businesses to open credit accounts in her name, totaling more than $36,000, according to Ontario Police. The two suspects then fraudulently bought large amounts of furniture by charging to those accounts.

During Tuesday's search warrant, investigators located evidence in the residence included fraudulently purchase furniture, according to police.

Abdul and Chavira were later booked at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga for charges of burglary, grand theft, theft from an elder and elderly abuse.

Detectives are concerned there may be others that were victimized by Abdul and Chavira. Anyone with information about the incident or feel they may have been victimized in the same manner is asked to contact Ontario Police Detective Al Parra at (909) 395-2752.

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