A man believed to have stolen money and jewelry from at least 50 elderly residents of Glendale and Northeast Los Angeles over the last year by posing as a Social Security representative was arraigned Friday on burglary charges in Glendale Municipal Court.
Robert Adams, 37, of Hollywood, is suspected of gaining entry to the homes of the elderly by telling residents he had reviewed their Social Security benefits and believed that they were entitled to more money, police said. Once inside, Adams allegedly would ask residents whether they kept cash or valuables in the house and then steal what he could grab while residents went to get him a glass of water or a cup of coffee, police said.
"Sometimes he posed as a doctor who needed to examine them before they could get additional benefits," Glendale police Detective Bill Fishbeck. "While they were taking a shower, he would take the money."
Spotted by Victim
Adams, also known as Steven Lee, was arrested Dec. 31 in Glendale after a woman who had been victimized earlier that day spotted the suspect in the neighborhood while police were at her house writing a crime report. The woman told police that she recognized Adams' stocky build and crooked, badly stained teeth, police said.
