A San Fernando Valley man was sentenced today to 200 months in federal prison for breaking into an elderly man’s home, later stealing his jewelry and mail, then providing the victim’s personal identifying information (PII) to fellow criminals, who then joined him in looting the victim’s estate via a forged trust and power-of-attorney forms.
Matthew Jason Kroth, 52, a.k.a. “Speedy,” of Studio City was sentenced by United States District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, who also ordered him to pay $1,947,051 in restitution.
Kroth pleaded guilty in October 2023 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He has been in federal custody since August 2023.
According to his plea agreement and other court documents, Kroth in the summer of 2020 broke into the home of an elderly man, who was living alone in the house at the time. Later, Kroth returned to the victim’s home to steal items, including mail and jewelry. By this time, the victim had died, but his death went unreported to authorities.
Kroth then provided to his co-conspirators the victim’s PII and his mail so they could impersonate the victim and steal his assets, including his home and money in his financial accounts. Kroth’s co-conspirators forged a trust document and power-of-attorney forms so that they could pretend that the now-deceased victim supported the sale of his assets for the benefit of Kroth’s accomplices.
The conspirators then dismembered and disposed of the victim’s body so his death would be hard to discover.
Kroth also received into a joint bank account held with a co-conspirator most of the proceeds of the sale of another victim’s real estate, which Kroth knew was fraudulent and had been carried out with forgeries.
The co-conspirators – Kroth included – used interstate wire transfers to defraud their victims throughout the conspiracy, which lasted from at least 2020 until January 2023.
“[Kroth] admitted that he had been surveilling [the victim’s] home because it looked uncared for, and therefore easy to rob,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “[The victim] was alive and home when [Kroth] first broke into his residence, so [Kroth] used the ruse of performing a ‘welfare check’ to explain his presence in the house. Even though [Kroth] had encountered [the victim] during the first break in, [Kroth] went back months later to try again, by which time [the victim] had died. Rather than notify the authorities of [the victim’s] death, [Kroth] used it as an opportunity to steal not just his belongings as in a regular burglary, but his entire estate, including his home.”
Kroth further admitted in his plea agreement that in January 2023 he knowingly possessed approximately 120 grams of methamphetamine along with cutting agents, a digital scale, ammunition, and baggies. Kroth possessed the methamphetamine intending to dilute it and sell it to other people.
The total loss to the victims attributable to Kroth in the conspiracy is $1,947,051.
Caroline Herrling, 46, of West Hills, who led the conspiracy after Kroth brought into it, is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence after she pleaded guilty in March 2023 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She has been in federal custody since January 2023.
Another co-conspirator, James Rhys Kantor, 46, of Cumming, Georgia and a former resident of West Hollywood, is scheduled to be sentenced on February 19, at which time he will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. Kantor pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The United States Postal Inspection Service and the Los Angeles Police Department, Valley Bureau Homicide investigated this matter. Significant assistance was provided by the Los Angeles Joint Regional Intelligence Center.
Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Brown of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted this case.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps.
Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 3 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific Time. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.
Information about the Department of Justice’s Elder Fraud Initiative is available at www.justice.gov/elderjustice.
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