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Gainesville man arrested for cashing mother’s Social Security checks and using money to go on a cruise

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Alton Fitzgerald McLaurin, 48, was arrested and charged with fraud, exploitation of the elderly, and theft over $10,000 after allegedly depositing over $12,000 in Social Security checks made out to his mother and spending about $7,000 on a cruise.

In July, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to Park Meadows (3250 SW 41st Place), where a manager and an Adult Protective Services investigator said they were investigating the theft of a resident’s Social Security checks. They said Park Meadows was removed as the victim’s Social Security payee in October 2023, and staff spent several months filing paperwork and consulting with doctors to get the victim declared mentally and medically competent so the checks could come to the victim again. In June 2024, Social Security began reissuing checks, including a check for $10,684 that included back pay for the missed payments; a second check for $1,346 was sent in July.

However, after Park Meadows realized they had not received the checks, they contacted Social Security and learned that the checks had been delivered to an address the victim shares with her son and then deposited into a USAA bank account. The victim said she did not have a USAA bank account, but her son did.

Park Meadows reportedly made multiple attempts to speak with McLaurin, and he reportedly said several times that he would get the money to them when he got back into town, but he had allegedly not followed through by the time the sworn complaint was filed at the end of July.

A subpoena to USAA produced records that reportedly showed the checks being deposited on an Android phone to an account owned by McLaurin. When the first check was deposited, McLaurin reportedly had $1,600 in his bank account; about two weeks after depositing the check, two purchases totaling $7,000 were made to pay for a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Post Miranda, McLaurin reportedly admitted depositing the checks and paying for the cruise, as well as buying things for his children. He originally said he had a Power of Attorney for his mother, but once he was told there was no Power of Attorney on file, he reportedly said that he knew he had messed up. He reportedly told deputies that he had apologized to his mother, had asked his bank to refund the money to the Social Security Administration, and is now working two jobs to pay the bank.

McLaurin has no criminal convictions and was released on his own recognizance.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

  • Wow no excuse to the woman that gave birth gave you life love to care you loved you before you even loved yourself God will forgive you but if any woman in Gainesville or anywhere on you as a man she needs to look deeply within herself you are a distress embarrassment and I pray that she forgives you and God have mercy on your soul. remember ladies this man you kids fathers that’s why you single or fatherless old man that treats his mother will treat you, example mclaurin 🕊👀🏃🏾‍♀️💨 for the mother I’m sorry for the father take your name back for the kids hiDr😂😇

  • Sons don’t love their mothers like they used too!! This fool went on a cruise! What a creep! Men like this make me cringe.

  • How predictable! If your scruffy, no good adult child is leaching off the elderly parent, it better be in return for full-time caretaking. The mom may have gladly paid for his cruise, had he asked and found a respite caretaker while away.

    But noooooo, that would be too mature and considerate for *some* people brought up to be moochers by the … ACLUSPLCDNC the last 48 years. 🤡👹💩👺👿

    • That’s as bad as a friend of mine’s brother who used his dad’s accounts as his own. Apparently used his dad’s homestead exemption to avoid paying property taxes on a house he bought for himself since he lived in Georgia. Moved his equities into his dad’s account and took his dad’s and put them in his account because his dad’s was worth more. Set up a trust with himself as the executor without letting his siblings know and used the funds to pay his own debts. Then he cheated his siblings out of what their father intended for them to share and lied about one of his dad’s properties he sold. He even used his dad’s credit and debit cards after his dad died.
      Quite a piece of art.

    • Still blaming everything on the Dems.. your responses to everything…so predictable. And still have your little emojis to keep you company.

  • So….taxpayers are footing the mothers nursing home bill (Medicaid) and the son steals his mothers SS checks that were supposed to go to Park Meadows. Sounds like Medicaid fraud to me.

  • Not as bad as this behavior.
    “Trump Pays $2 Million to 8 Charities for Misuse of Foundation
    Under a settlement, the president admitted he had used his charity to bolster his campaign and settle business debts.”

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