A former rural Scottsbluff man convicted of exploiting a vulnerable elderly woman by forging real estate transfer documents has lost an appeal before the Nebraska Court of Appeals.
Barry Neal was sentenced last December to 3 to 5 years in prison for Second Degree Forgery, Attempted Theft by Taking, and Abuse of a Vulnerable adult, but claimed the evidence was insufficient for the convictions, and the sentence was excessive.
The appellate court affirmed the convictions, saying “The repeated unorthodox attempts to add Barry and Londa’s names to the property leading up to and around the date of the offenses showed intent to deceive or harm the victim by diminishing or eliminating her interest in the property.”
The judges also found that, given Barry Neal’s prior convictions, and the fact the sentences imposed were well below the combined statutory maximum, there was no abuse of discretion by the district court.
