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DOJ: Fresno hairstylist, actress charged in caregiver fraud

Anna Moore and Anton David attend m/f people Celebrates Launch in LA with Cocktail Party on June 22, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for m/f )

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A Fresno hairstylist and an actress have been charged in a 12-count indictment alleging they defrauded a physician out of more than $2.7 million before his death and then attempted to defraud his estate out of an additional amount exceeding $20 million, officials with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Wednesday.

Court documents say beginning in June 2017, 39-year-old actress and former yoga studio owner Anna Rene Moore who was residing in Monterrey, Mexico, and 46-year-old Anthony David Flores, also known as “Anton David” who was a hairstylist from Fresno used false promises and representations to befriend the victim.

The victim, a physician, and a successful investor worth more than $60 million suffered from a mental illness and lost the ability to care for himself, according to federal prosecutors.

DOJ officials say within days of meeting the victim, Flores and Moore moved into the victim’s beachfront Malibu home ‘rent-free’ and slowly took control of his life by pretending to be his new “best friends” and caregivers.

In September 2017, after the victim suffered a severe mental breakdown resulting in his arrest and detention in Los Angeles County Jail, authorities say Flores allegedly fraudulently induced the victim to sign powers of attorney granting Flores control over the victim’s finances.

Court documents show Flores allegedly represented that he would only use these powers to access the victim’s finances to post bail for release, and he would immediately rescind them once the victim was free from jail.

But officials say after the victim was released from custody, Flores allegedly reneged on this promise and used the powers to open bank accounts in the victim’s name, giving himself and Moore access to the victim’s wealth.

According to the DOJ, from Sept. 2017 to May 2018, Flores and Moore allegedly diverted the victim’s funds to their own bank accounts, isolated the victim from his family and longtime friends, and provided the victim with drugs, including marijuana and LSD.

Authorities say, in the final days of the victim’s life, Flores and Moore allegedly gave the victim LSD, which caused his mental state to severely deteriorate.

While the victim was under the influence of LSD, officials say Flores allegedly changed the two-step authentication feature on the victim’s $60 million online brokerage account after previously changing the phone number listed on the account from the victim’s phone to his own phone number.

DOJ officials say four days before the victim’s death – and while the victim was still under the influence of LSD that the suspects allegedly had provided to him – Flores then allegedly initiated two $1 million wires from the victim’s brokerage account to accounts that Flores controlled, including Flores’ personal bank account.

Prosecutors say Flores and Moore then left the victim, who by this time was in mental distress and had evicted them from his home. From a luxury hotel paid with the victim’s funds, Flores and Moore allegedly watched the victim’s deteriorating mental condition on the video cameras installed throughout the Malibu beach house, according to authorities.

DOJ officials say in May 2018, the victim died in his Malibu home at the age of 57. Following the victim’s death, Flores and Moore moved back into the victim’s Malibu beachfront home and allegedly withdrew large sums of money from his accounts. They allegedly also concealed information about the victim’s finances from his mother and sister, both of whom reside in Florida.

This prompted the victim’s family to file a lawsuit, which uncovered the alleged fraud.

As a result, Los Angeles Superior Court stated that Flores and Moore allegedly violated multiple court orders ordering them to return the funds stolen from the victim.

They allegedly attempted to launder the fraudulent proceeds by funneling the money through multiple different accounts to thwart the victim’s estate and court-appointed receiver from recouping the money. The lawsuit was settled with Flores and Moore agreeing to repay the victim’s estate $1 million, which they have so far failed to do, prosecutors say.

DOJ officials add that 46-year-old Anthony David Flores of Fresno – also known as “Anton David” – was arrested last week in Fresno by federal agents. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is scheduled for a detention hearing on Feb. 10 in the Eastern District of California.

39-year-old Anna Rene Moore was arrested on Tuesday in Houston upon arrival on a flight from Mexico. She made her initial appearance in the Southern District of Texas.

Both suspects are expected to appear in Los Angeles federal court in the coming weeks.

Flores and Moore are each charged with several counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud as well as counts of identity theft, conspiracy, and money laundering among other related charges.

If convicted on all counts, Flores and Moore could spend at least 50 years behind bars.