Washington Advisor Gets Three Years in Prison for Stealing Nearly $1 Million From Widow

According to the new press release issued by the United States Attorney’s Office from the Washington District, a former financial advisor from Fox Island has been sentenced to 3 years in federal prison for stealing nearly $1 million.

He has stolen the hefty amount from an elderly widow who trusted him with her savings and inheritance.

John Scott Winslow, who is 57 years old, received the sentence in the US District Court in Takoma. Prosecutors said he spent about four years draining money from a client in her 70s.

The victim had relied on him for financial advice and personal support as she faced cognitive decline and isolation.

Winslow had worked at a national financial services firm before he was fired after the theft came to light. He had been charged with four counts of wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, four counts of money laundering, and four counts related to filing false tax returns.

“The crime was personal,” U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright said during sentencing. “Mr Winslow had a longstanding relationship with this victim.”

Now the court had ordered in law to pay $1,175,475 restitution, and the amount includes the money stolen from the victim and unpaid taxes owed to the US government. Winslow has agreed to 4 feet. His Fox Island home to help recover the debt.

Federal prosecutors said Winslow first built a close relationship with the widow before taking control of finances. He took her grocery shopping and bought her flowers and chocolates while gaining her confidence.

“Over about four years, this defendant stole more than $900,000 from an elderly victim,” said First Assistant Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. ”Then, he took advantage of her trust, her cognitive decline and isolation.”

According to documents, Winslow moved money from the woman’s brokerage accounts into an outside bank account. So the transaction would avoid internal monitoring systems at the financial firm. The money was later transferred into his own account through several transactions.

Prosecutors also stated that Winslow falsely promised the victim that he could give her better returns than her Bank. During his visits to her home, he allegedly instructed her to place Bank employees on speakerphone and guided her on what to say.

According to authorities, he used the stolen money to give himself a luxury lifestyle, which included an island home, a hot tub, and a new car.

Investigators also shared that Winslow made efforts to hide the source of the money. They said Winslow bought gold coins from online dealers in multiple transactions before selling them to local gold shops and depositing the proceeds into his bank accounts.

During the fraud scheme, Winslow also failed to report the stolen money on his federal tax returns, causing a tax loss of about $254,000. The victim later sued the financial services and settled for $920,483. But the prosecutor said, she still lost nearly $321,000 an attorney fees for the case.

The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation led the investigation. Prosecutors on the case were Assistant U.S. Attorneys Yunah Chung and Lauren Staniar.