PHILADELPHIA – A lack of accountability and follow-through by police and government agencies may have contributed to the plight of four mentally disabled adults authorities say were locked in a basement while a convicted murderer stole their Social Security checks.
Police in Philadelphia and West Palm Beach, Fla., missed opportunities to help one or more of the victims while the woman charged with orchestrating the scheme was legally disqualified from cashing the victims’ government disability checks because of her criminal past.
Linda Ann Weston, 51, was charged Monday with kidnapping, false imprisonment and other offenses after her landlord stumbled on the four adults, all weak and malnourished, in a dank, foul-smelling boiler room on Saturday. Her bail was set at $2.5 million.
Also charged were Gregory Thomas, 47, whom Weston described as her boyfriend, and Eddie “the Rev. Ed” Wright, 50.
The three remained jailed Tuesday and couldn’t be reached for comment. A lawyer for Weston didn’t return telephone calls seeking comment.
Detectives found dozens of identification cards, power-of-attorney forms and other documents. Philadelphia police formed a task force to investigate the case as authorities try to find as many as 50 more possible fraud victims, Officer Jillian Russell said.
Landlord Turgut Gozleveli discovered the victims
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