Money Not Love

A younger ex-con who married a wealthy octogenarian widow, in what prosecutors allege was part of a massive swindle, has drawn attention to the vulnerability of senior citizens. “The day before Roger Greenberg, a then-66-year-old ex-con, married Evelyn Zucker, a then-83-year-old invalid widow, he wrote a note to his bride-to-be. ‘Take all your valuables with you or you won’t find them when you return!’ he said. ‘Wear warm clothes, but only bring your big pocket book besides your valuables cash-diamonds. Bring all medicines.’ They married in the front seat of his car Nov. 26, 2008, with a minister leaning in the window. Prosecutors allege that for Greenberg, it wasn’t about love; it was all part of a massive swindle — an audacious example of the stealing expected to rise as the number of people older than 75 nearly doubles over the next two decades. According to the MetLife Mature Market Institute, more than $2.6 billion is taken annually from U.S. senior citizens who might have lost mental functioning, physical functioning or both. ‘Evelyn Zucker is a classic victim,” said Robert McCarthy, a lawyer appointed to manage her assets. “She’s a childless widow. She’s also a nice lady. That’s who they hunt for.”