Four Family Members Indicted in North Texas Schemes Targeting Elderly, Vulnerable Boarding Home Residents

DALLAS - Four members of a family that operated unlicensed boarding homes across North Texas have been federally indicted in two related fraud cases accusing them of exploiting elderly and vulnerable residents entrusted to their care.

Donella Locke, Suekya Whitney, also known as Suekya Locke, Shakoya Crenshaw, also known as Shakoya Locke, and Krystle Locke, also known as Krystle Edwards or Krystal Locke, were charged in indictments returned Aug. 26.

Federal prosecutors allege the defendants used their positions at boarding homes serving elderly and disabled residents to carry out schemes involving a resident's home and government benefits.

In the first case, Donella Locke, Whitney and Crenshaw are charged with conspiracy to make false statements to a financial institution and four counts of making false statements to a financial institution.

According to the indictment, the defendants obtained power of attorney over a 79-year-old woman identified by the initials W.S., who lived in one of their boarding homes.

Prosecutors allege they arranged the sale of the woman's longtime Garland home to Whitney and Crenshaw. More than $156,000 from the transaction was moved through multiple accounts, with $147,000 ultimately transferred to Donella Locke, according to the indictment.

Locke then allegedly used the money to purchase another home while representing the funds as a cash gift from her daughter.

The indictment accuses the defendants of making false statements to lenders about the transactions, including representations that the property sale was an arm's-length transaction and that Locke had received legitimate gift funds. Prosecutors allege the defendants knew the transactions involved close relatives and that the money originated from the sale of W.S.'s property.

Each defendant faces up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge and up to 30 years on each false-statement charge if convicted.

Separate Case Involves Deceased Resident's Social Security Benefits

Krystle Locke was indicted separately on four counts of theft of government money and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Prosecutors allege Locke owned and operated John Thomas Residential Care Home and other unregistered boarding homes.

A resident identified as S.T. gave Locke durable power of attorney in December 2022. Locke later applied for Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income on his behalf and allegedly redirected his benefit payments to her own bank account.

According to the indictment, Social Security records show payments of $42,638.29 on Oct. 17, 2024, followed by another $2,302 payment the next day.

S.T. died Oct. 19, 2024.

Despite being notified of his death, prosecutors allege Locke withdrew tens of thousands of dollars in the following days and failed to return the money after being directed to do so.

Locke faces up to 10 years in federal prison on each government theft count if convicted. An aggravated identity theft conviction carries a mandatory two-year prison term that would run consecutively to any other sentence.

The FBI's Dallas office investigated the property and mortgage-related case. The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and Texas Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the government benefits case.