SEATTLE — A former restaurateur was sentenced Tuesday to 2.5 years in federal prison for defrauding an elderly widow living with dementia, after prosecutors showed he illegally pocketed $515,000 and lived rent-free in her $2 million lakefront home.
A federal judge handed down the sentence against Richard Radcliffe, 62, the culmination of a case that began in 2019. Radcliffe previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud and filing a false tax return.
Prosecutors described an exploitation that began when the victim frequented a restaurant Radcliffe owned near her home. Credit card receipts showed that in April 2019 she visited a few times; by August, she was walking through his doors more than 30 times in a single month. Investigators say Radcliffe cultivated a friendship with her, ultimately winning her trust…