LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Las Vegas-area realtor convicted of exploiting an older man with dementia out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, while convincing him they were in a relationship, will spend the next four months in jail and could go to prison if she violates probation.
Last month, a Clark County jury found Sophia Smith, 50, guilty of exploiting an older or vulnerable person, theft and credit card fraud.
In court Tuesday, Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny sentenced Smith to a six-month jail term with a suspended 12-to-30-year prison sentence. If Smith violates her probation within five years, she will have to report to prison, Kierny ordered.
“In my addiction, I manipulated someone that loves me unconditionally just to feed my habit,” Smith told the court before Kierny sentenced her.
MyVegas Magazine named Smith “a relator with a purpose” in its 2021 issue featuring the “top 100 real estate professionals.”
In court documents, prosecutors included Facebook posts with Smith and her victim, Cornelius “Connie” Hoffmans, where Smith repeatedly called the now-90-year-old her “best friend.”