Man gets maximum sentence for swindling vulnerable adult

A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to nearly nine years in prison for stealing $58,000 from a friend's retirement account, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said Friday.

Thomas Syzdek, 60, pleaded guilty in June to theft by swindle and identity theft. He admitted taking the money from his roommate, 61-year-old William Meredig, in 2010, shortly after Meredig suffered a stroke.

Syzdek was convicted of forging Meredig's signature on a check from Fidelity Investments. Syzdek then signed the check over to himself and "squandered the money on a Mexican vacation with his girlfriend and many restaurant and bar tabs," the prosecutor's office said.

A judge gave Syzdek, who also has prior convictions, the maximum at a sentencing hearing last week.

Meredig's brother Jim said they discovered the scam after the IRS intervened. "We got a notice saying he didn't report his income from his retirement account, and that we owed another $8,000 and some odd dollars," he said.

William Meredig said he's unable to recover any of the stolen money but does have other income.

"These kinds of identity thefts against vulnerable adults are an increasing problem," Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said in a statement. "These cases are difficult because people don't like to come forward after they are swindled."