Neighbors' vigilance exposes caretaker's alleged scheme to drain Plantation man's life savings
On a quiet, tree-lined street, police said an elderly man's life savings were nearly stolen by the woman entrusted to care for him.
Instead of safeguarding his twilight years, investigators allege she siphoned his money, splurged on luxury travel, and even tried to claim his home as her own.
Her alleged plan might have succeeded if not for the sharp eyes and persistence of the couple who lived next door.
"Neighbors looking out for other neighbors"
Joe and Mary Goldstein never considered themselves heroes. But when they noticed troubling signs surrounding their 83-year-old neighbor, Tom Rockey, they followed their instincts.
"You know, neighbors looking out for other neighbors," Joe said matter-of-factly, standing outside the home he once feared would be stolen from its rightful owner.
Joe, an attorney, used his legal skills to secure a temporary injunction barring the caretaker — later identified as 78-year-old Lilliam Morris — from accessing Rockey's accounts or even contacting him.
"It's similar to getting a restraining order," Joe explained. Without it, he believes, Morris would still be living in Rockey's home and draining his bank accounts.
Mary recalled the moment their worries became reality. One October afternoon in 2024, she spotted several police cars parked outside Rockey's house.
"I happened to be walking the dog, and that's when I called Joe and said, I think maybe we should check on Tom," she said.
Investigators with the Department of Children and Families were already inside. Before leaving, one case manager gave Mary unusual advice: take Rockey to the bank. That's where the shocking truth emerged.
"That's when everything escalated," Joe said. "Once we saw the withdrawals, the missing funds it was clear she had been stealing from him."
Alleged fraud spanned cash and property
According to Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar, Morris allegedly opened $80,000 in certificates of deposit in her own name using Rockey's money.
Investigators said she also embarked on globe-trotting adventures, flying Qatar Airways to Africa and Europe, and spending roughly $240,000 of Rockey's funds — nearly his entire life savings.
Authorities said Morris had also begun transferring the title of Rockey's Plantation home into her own name. The Goldsteins, working with Broward County's Real Property Protection Division, stopped the process.
"Without that division, she might have gotten away with it," Joe said.
Detective Joseph Sommovigo of the Broward Sheriff's Office confirmed Morris was arrested Friday after being extradited from Georgia. She appeared in Broward bond court over the weekend and now faces charges related to elder exploitation and financial fraud.
"We had been waiting for that day"
For the Goldsteins, the arrest brought long-awaited closure.
"Oh, we were thrilled," Mary said. "We had been waiting for that day for almost a year — waiting for justice to occur."
Rockey is no longer living alone. He has moved in with his son in another city, though he still owns the house where his neighbors once looked out for him.
"He's safe, and that's what matters," Joe said.
What began as a quiet suspicion on a suburban street has now become a reminder: sometimes, it takes ordinary neighbors to stop an extraordinary crime.