BPD’s ELDER FRAUD UNIT INVESTIGATION UNCOVERS DUAL SCAMS; ARRESTS NC WOMAN
Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC
Bradenton Police Department
A Charlotte, North Carolina, woman was arrested this week for her alleged role in scamming a 66-year-old Bradenton man out of at least $100,000.
📰 READ MORE: On May 18, 2026, Elder Fraud Detective Jim Curulla, with assistance from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, arrested Elizabeth Ann Hildbrand, 51, on charges of Grand Theft and Money Laundering. Hildbrand is awaiting extradition to Manatee County.
The victim filed a fraud report with BPD in February 2026. He reported investing approximately $300,000 over two years with an online company called “Tesla 1.” The victim realized he’d been scammed after attempting to withdraw money from his “Tesla 1” investment account.
The victim reported communicating via text messages and the Telegram app with two individuals acting as “brokers,” including Hildbrand. Financial records indicated the victim transferred a total of $87,651 through wire transfers and cashier’s checks to bank accounts owned by Hildbrand. Additionally, the victim purchased Apple gift cards totaling $22,500 and provided the card numbers and PINs to the “brokers.” He also mailed an undetermined amount of cash.
Subpoenas for Hildbrand’s financial records indicated she deposited much of the victim’s money into her accounts and subsequently made numerous cryptocurrency transactions.
Following her arrest, Hildbrand agreed to speak with Detective Curulla. She stated she believed she was romantically involved with “Elon Musk” and agreed to help the billionaire purchase cryptocurrency. Hildbrand said she later realized she had become the victim of a romance scam; however, investigators determined she continued to accept money from the Bradenton victim and transfer the funds into cryptocurrency.
The FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation 2025 Internet Crime Report shows that Cyber-related crimes cost Americans nearly $21 billion last year. Actual losses are likely significantly higher because many scams go unreported.
Investment scams and romance scams ranked among the top five most commonly reported and costliest online scams.
In 2025, cases investigated by BPD’s Elder Fraud Unit accounted for approximately $8 million in reported losses. So far this year, the unit has investigated losses of at least $750,000 (as of May 1, 2026).
Printed resource guides are also available at BPD Headquarters, 100 10th St. W., Bradenton