Bunnell, Fla.Investigators say a 56-year-old Palm Coast man stole thousands of dollars in unauthorized transactions by forging many checks from his late mother’s estate, leading to his arrest earlier this month.
On June 18, deputies from the Problem Area Crime Enforcement Unit and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Unit apprehended Thomas Frazzetto. Authorities have charged him with grand theft and uttering forged instruments.
Two months after his mother’s passing, on December 2, 2024, detectives started looking into Frazzetto. A tip of someone trying to cash a counterfeit $51,200 check prompted the investigation. Investigators found that Frazzetto had successfully cashed that check and three others that he had faked his mother’s signature on soon after her death.
The illicit transactions totaled over $9,000, including a $2,000 Zelle payment the day before she passed away. Frazzetto’s mother would have been medically incapable at the time of the digital transfer, according to an estate agent who spoke to investigators.
According to the police, the man was named Son of the Year.
Investigators connect the suspect to previous financial transactions before to the mother’s passing.
The financial activity aroused several red lights, according to authorities, with fraud taking place both before and after the woman’s death. The digital transfers and counterfeit checks were immediately linked to the deceased’s bank accounts.
Frazzetto is being held on a $10,000 bail at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility after being taken there. Frazzetto’s past criminal history, which includes drug charges, simple battery, and probation violations, was brought to the attention of the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff Rick Staly praised the investigators’ efforts in filing charges, saying that stealing from a deceased family member is not only dishonorable but illegal.
Frazzetto is still being held for additional court processes and is charged with several felonies.
Investigators claim that within days of his mother’s passing, Frazzetto took use of her estate for his own financial benefit.
