By John Santa
An elderly Great Neck man was reportedly scammed out of nearly $40,000 dollars last month by an upstate New York woman, who is accused by police of carrying out a lottery scheme.
Patricia Berak, of Latham New York, was charged with grand larceny and scheme to defraud after she contacted the victim at his home to put the scheme in motion, police said.
Police said Berak informed the 87-year-old man that he had won a lottery drawing and that he was supposed to send a series of checks and money grams to her and an accomplice at her home.
Trevor Parchment was identified by police as assisting Berak with the crime, but he has yet to be apprehended.
Berak claimed to have also lost money in the scam and only assisted in the crime to have her money returned, according to published reports. She was arraigned last Friday at First District Court in Hempstead.
