It was discovered a Lawrenceville man police described as mentally disabled is missing and has not been seen publicly "for several years" after his mother allegedly tried to take his trust fund through an elaborate scam.
Lee Earnest Longmire, 20, is a mentally disabled man whose trust fund was managed by an appointed lawyer, Gwinnett County police said. His mother, 58-year-old Yvonne Longmire, presented another man as her son in an Atlanta probate court in January in an attempt to access her son’s trust fund. A judge and a doctor were convinced that the man was Lee Earnest Longmire and that Lee Earnest Longmire was no longer disabled, and thus no longer needing oversight of his trust fund.
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The court released $200,000 to Yvonne Longmire and Maurice Ford, who was posing as the son. Before the pair could access the money, the attorney and paralegal who oversaw the trust fund became suspicious. Lee Earnest Longmire had not been seen “in several years,” according to police, and the lawyer did not believe Ford was Lee Earnest Longmire.
Lee Earnest Longmire, though still not located, was declared a ward of the state and assigned a guardian through the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services. DFCS and law enforcement have not been able to make contact with Lee Earnest Longmire.
Ford was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, on charges related to the alleged impersonation. Police are searching for Yvonne Longmire and have taken out warrants for her arrest on charges of perjury, forgery, identity theft, theft by deception, criminal solicitation and exploitation of an at-risk adult. Yvonne Longmire is believed to be driving a 2006 Ford F-150 truck with the Georgia license plate “PRE 3129.”
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Gwinnett County detectives at 770-513-5300 or Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477. Crime Stoppers tips may be rewarded with up to $2,000 if they lead to an arrest or indictment.
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