Ranson Scammer Samuel Bunner Slammed with 10+ Years for Elder Financial Fraud

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – In a harsh blow to a ruthless scammer, Samuel Kristofer Bunner, 51, formerly of Ranson, West Virginia, was handed a total of 121 months in federal prison for brutally defrauding a Jefferson County man who suffered from dementia.

Bunner, a calculating scoundrel, had pleaded guilty to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in February 2024. Court documents revealed that the cunning crook had bilked the victim out of a staggering $1,906,229 by selling his real estate, emptying his investment and bank accounts, and opening a credit card in the unsuspecting man’s name.

The victim, left financially decimated, had his life’s savings plundered by Bunner, who then used the ill-gotten gains to purchase luxury items, including homes, campers, cars, and hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of consumer goods.

In a bid to make amends, Bunner was ordered to pay the full amount of $1,906,229 in restitution to the victim. Following his prison sentence, the convicted scammer will serve 5 years of supervised release.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eleanor Hurney prosecuted the case on behalf of the government, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation conducting the investigation. The Jefferson County, WV Prosecutor’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida, and FBI-Tampa assisted with the matter.

U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided over the sentencing, handing down a stiff punishment to the perpetrator of this heinous crime. Bunner’s actions will come as a stark reminder to those who would seek to prey on the vulnerable – in this case, a man with dementia who was left with nothing but financial ruin and heartache.