Man Accused in Senior Thefts Vindicated

MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. (WJBK) - He was dubbed the "suave senior" and accused of using his charm to steal from unsuspecting women. However, a Sterling Heights man says police collared the wrong guy and he took drastic measures to clear his name.

For 73-year-old James Legenzoff, the threat of doing hard time and being locked up behind bars in prison was petrifying. "My stage of life jail would be kind of scary, yes," he said. "I didn't believe it was happening to me... and having people think that you've actually done these things."

The things he's referring to are low down and devious, knocking on doors of unsuspecting elderly people, tricking them into thinking they were old friends and when the victim's turned their backs, taking their cash.

Most of the victims fingered Legenzoff as the person that ripped them off, so he was facing some serious charges.

"I might look similar to the man who actually is doing... these crimes," Legenzoff said. However, no one believed that he didn't do it except his attorney, who he now considers a friend.

"I never had the slightest doubt that Mr. Legenzoff was absolutely innocent," said attorney Gerald Evelyn. So, he helped his client prove his case.

"Finally we got a person in the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office... to agree to look at the entire case in a comprehensive way and after they did, it became very clear that he couldn't have committed any of these crimes," Evelyn said.

The real bad guy took his rip-off rampage all over metro Detroit from St. Clair Shores to Fraser, Roseville, Harper Woods, Grosse Pointe, Canton and Royal Oak.

"Instead of spending all the time looking at me as the culprit, they should have been looking for the right person," said Legenzoff.

It was fingerprints, photos, cell phone records, passing every single polygraph test and wearing a tether that proved Legenzoff was not the man being sought by police.

It took about a year, but Leganzoff was finally vindicated, although he warns that we could all become victims. "Anybody can have this happen to them. There's no one immune to this. Anybody could be mistaken for someone else," he said.