Exterminator convinced widow he was her son — and stole $1.2 million from her, feds say

A widowed woman with dementia had $1.2 million stolen after her exterminator tricked her into trusting him, federal prosecutors said.

Karl Hampton, 65, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, convinced the 85-year-old woman he was her son and would “care for her personally and financially” between 2018 and 2020, according to officials.

His influence caused her to give him power of attorney and name him in her Revocable Living Trust and will — so he could gain control over her money and property after she died, prosecutors said.

Karl Hampton was found guilty of 12 felony counts in connection with the fraud scheme, which also involved his wife, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee announced in an April 14 news release.

Deborah Hampton was charged with conspiracy and money laundering with her husband, who was also charged with wire and mail fraud, in 2021, according to prosecutors who said she pleaded guilty to money laundering in February.

McClatchy News contacted attorneys separately representing Karl and Deborah Hampton for comment on April 17 and didn’t immediately receive a response.

Karl Hampton is accused of spending the widow’s money on luxury goods, including a Lexus, a 4.3-karat diamond ring, and invested $170,000 interest in an exterminator business.

How the fraud scheme unfolded

Karl Hampton worked as the widow’s exterminator from January 2016 through May 2019, according to a criminal complaint. He earned roughly $28,000 a year working for Belle Meade Exterminating Company while his wife was unemployed, the complaint says.

In April 2018, the widow was meant to inherit half of her sister’s estate following her death in December 2017, the criminal complaint says.

Between January and December of 2019, Hampton liquidated the widow’s sister’s investment accounts at Vanguard, Charles Schwab and Lincoln Financial for his own gain, according to the complaint.

After Vanguard, Charles Schwab and Lincoln Financial separately mailed the widow checks worth roughly $139,000, $107,000 and $24,000, Hampton took the majority of the money for himself, the complaint says

He also liquidated an Ameren investment account belonging to the widow, who was mailed a check worth nearly $71,000 as a result in February 2019, according to the complaint. He bought a 2019 Kia Soul the day after this check was deposited into the widow’s bank account.

One month after becoming the woman’s power of attorney in April 2019, Hampton quit his job, started buying lottery tickets and funded his “lavish lifestyle,” the complaint says.

He “methodically drained” her bank accounts, “took out a $500,000 line of credit in her name using her property as collateral, and amassed huge charges on her credit cards,” according to prosecutors.

Karl Hampton used $21,000 of the stolen money for a down payment on a 2018 Lexus in his wife’s name, the complaint says.

He and his wife also spent $21,452 on the diamond ring, according to the complaint.

Karl Hampton’s sentencing is scheduled for August 11, prosecutors said. His wife will be sentenced on June 16, the release said.

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