A Washington couple has been accused of stealing $2.6 million from an elderly man who died by suicide after targeting him through public death notices, prosecutors say.
Ronald Wisner, 55, has been charged with 22 counts of theft, perjury, money laundering, mortgage fraud and forgery, and his wife, Melissa Wisner, 50, has been charged with assisting in theft and money laundering for stealing from the Boeing engineer.
They are accused of targeting Michael Flegle, 73, who died by suicide in a house fire in April 2024, The Seattle Times reported.
Flegle lived alone at his Issaquah home, approximately 30 miles outside Seattle, and had no immediate family members, according to King County prosecutors.
In the weeks after his death, investigators noticed his home was burglarized, his car was stolen and a series of forged checks were drawn from his checking account.
'Mr. Flegle passed away in a house fire in 2024. As they were investigating the death, investigators stumbled across evidence of financial crimes,' Chris Fyall, a senior deputy prosecuting attorney for King County, told King 5.
Prosecutors say they found evidence that Wisner monitored public death notices and began researching Flegle's home two days after his death notice was published.
Six days after Flegle's death, investigators claim that Wisner sold his car and forged Flegle's signature on the car title.
'We know that six days after the house fire, Mr. Wisner sold Michael Flegle's car, and as he did that, as described in the charging paperwork, he presented the car as something that he had possessed for more than a year. We know that's not true,' Fyall said.
Two weeks later, Wisner allegedly deposited a $7,800 check from Flegle's checking account.
Prosecutors say Wisner filed a fraudulent will with King County Superior Court and forged Flegle's signature, appointing him executor of Flegle's estate.
Records show that Wisner transferred $175,000 from Flegle's Fidelity investment account into his own, as well as transferring $1.8 million from his Vanguard investment account, prosecutors allege.
Wisner allegedly sold Flegle's home for about $548,000, and prosecutors say the couple used the money to buy a property in Edgewood.
When the couple sold the Edgewood property, the funds were deposited into Melissa's account, leading to charges of assisting in theft and money laundering.
'Were Mr. Wisner and Mr. Flegle friends? The evidence that she uncovered suggests no, they weren't,' Fyall said.
Records show that Wisner was previously arrested for being a fugitive in 2018 and has a history of failing to appear in court while out of custody.
In 2022, he was sued by the estate of a woman he claimed had promised him her home.
The King County Court has issued an arrest warrant for the Wisners, and an arraignment is scheduled for May.
Officials believe the Wisners have moved out of state and may be in New Mexico.
'Right now, there are arrest warrants for both Mr. and Mrs. Wisner, and we're hoping to find them and get them arraigned soon,' Fyall said.
The Daily Mail contacted the King County Prosecutors' Office for comment.
