Restaurant owner sentenced to prison for stealing $515,000 from elderly woman with dementia

The former owner of a Lake Sammamish restaurant was sentenced to 30 months for stealing from a former elderly customer after befriending her via wire fraud and false tax returns.

Richard Dale Radcliffe, 62, was found guilty after admitting he stole $515,000 from the befriended elderly victim, a widow dealing with dementia, on November 12, 2025.

“(The victim) trusted and believed that you would use her money for her care … You used your access and control over accounts to enrich yourself,” U.S. District Judge Lauren King said at Radcliffe’s hearing. “You exploited her for your gain to the tune of half a million dollars.”

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, Radcliffe worked on forming a friendship with the victim after learning about her significant wealth. She was an elderly widow suffering cognitive decline who lived near the restaurant. Within just a few months of their friendship, Radcliffe orchestrated a friend of his to become the power of attorney for her, with Radcliffe still having access and control over the victim’s bank accounts.

Radcliffe then became the beneficiary of her will. The victim had no surviving family members.

“This defendant ingratiated himself into the life of an elderly widow, encouraging her to make him and his family beneficiaries in her will,” First Assistant Neil Floyd said. “But he did not wait for her death to start taking her money – he raided her accounts to pay for his own luxuries. His callous conduct is deserving of this prison sentence.”

The victim trusted Radcliffe to assist her with her finances, including paying her bills. Radcliffe abused his access to her finances, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, including using her money to purchase his own real estate. He also used her money for gambling, travel, and restaurant operation expenses.

“He convinced his friend, as power of attorney, to liquidate over $800,000 from the victim’s retirement account to fund the purchase of a home for himself in North Carolina by falsely claiming that he was entitled that amount as reimbursement for money that he spent on the victim’s care and for remodeling her home,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington wrote.

Fraud continues after victim’s death

When the victim died, Radcliffe attempted to claim a life insurance benefit while posing as her deceased spouse, prompting an FBI investigation into potential fraud. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, numerous local investigations were already underway into Radcliffe’s exploitative behavior.

“It was exceptionally cold-hearted of Mr. Radcliffe to prey on this victim’s loneliness and age,” W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office, said. “He befriended her to take advantage of her, stealing her money, taking her home, and estate. But ultimately, Mr. Radcliffe’s greed caught up with him, resulting in today’s well-deserved prison sentence. The FBI, IRS, and other partners will carefully follow the money to hold fraudsters accountable for their crimes.”

“While Mr. Radcliffe’s victim is, unfortunately, no longer with us, we’re glad the public knows her story,” Carrie Nordyke, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Seattle Field Office, said. “We hope this ruling gives pause to fraudsters who think they can escape accountability by targeting the vulnerable.”

After serving a 30-month sentence, Radcliffe will be on supervised release for three years. Additionally, he has been ordered to pay a $20,000 fine, forfeit $515,000, and pay $124,000 in restitution to the IRS.

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