The 26-year-old wife of a 77-year-old millionaire is facing several theft-related charges after she allegedly tried to fraudulently obtain $1 million of his money without his knowledge.
Lin Helena Halfon, an Israel native, and her husband Richard Rappaport, the president of a Tampa-based medical device distribution company called Panther Medical, have been married for approximately 7-months. The couple reportedly lives separately with Halfon residing in her own apartment.
Last November, Halfon reportedly visited Amscot Financial in Tampa and presented a cashier’s check made out to her husband to the teller, and allegedly informed the staff that she and Rappaport planned to use the cash for the purchase of a yacht in Miami. The request was denied due to the fact that Rappaport was not present at the time.
When her first reported attempt was unsuccessful Halfon allegedly tried to cash the same total divided between three separate checks but was again told she would not be able to obtain the funds. The financial institution alerted the authorities about the woman’s second visit to their establishment and told them what allegedly transpired.
Investigators were informed of the attempted transaction and they alerted Rappaport about the incident, but the man said that he didn’t believe his wife had done anything wrong but that he requested she return the check to him.
Approximately a month after Halfon went to Amscot with her husband’s check, the investigators learned that two of the three, each in the amount of $333,333, were reportedly cashed in New Jersey by an unidentified man.
A freeze was put on the remaining check, and Rappaport, who said he willingly pays for all of his wife’s expenses, changed his previously supportive stance toward Halfon’s alleged actions and accused her of fraud and theft.
Halfon was taken into custody and booked into the Hillsborough County Jail on a $1 million bail. She is facing charges for suspicion of money laundering, organized fraud, and exploitation of an elderly person.
Though Rappaport’s daughter, who denied that she and the rest of their family had knowledge of her father’s marriage to Halfon, said she thinks Halfon was using her dad for his money and saw him as an easy target because of his age, her defense attorney has stated that he intends to “bring(ing) forward additional facts to bring clarity to this situation.” Since the couple is legally married, the lawyer additionally added, “Can a wife steal from her husband?”
If you or someone you love is suspected of a theft crime, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.