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Man with special needs located a month after mom charged with impersonation scam

His mom is charged with using another man to convince a judge to release her son's trust fund.

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. —

A man with special needs whose mother is accused of conspiring to scam him out of his trust fund was found after a month long search, according to Gwinnett officials. Gwinnett Co. Police Department said they located 20-year-old Lee Earnest Longmire on Friday, March 22. 

Authorities said his mother Yvonne Longmire, from Lawrenceville, is accused of hiring another man, 23-year-old Maurice Ford from Atlanta, to pose as her son in court to convince a judge that he no longer needed a conservator over his trust fund so she could get access to his $200,000. 

Police said Longmire testified that her son's medical trust fund -- established by a relative years earlier -- was no longer needed for his care. The judge agreed and ordered that the $200,000 be released. However, police discovered the scheme before she received the check.

She surrendered to the Gwinnett County Detention Center on March 5, according to Gwinnett officials.

Credit: Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office
Yvonne Longmire

READ: Mother accused of trying to swindle special needs son out of trust fund turns herself in

Her attorney, Robert Brooks, told police that Lee was “okay” but did not tell police where he was and they did not turn him over to DFCS as ordered by the state.

Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department
FROM LEFT: Lee Earnest Longmire, Yvonne Longmire and Maurice Ford. Yvonne Longmire is on the run after hiring Ford to pose as her son, Lee, to collect money from his trust fund. Lee Longmire has not been seen in years, police said.

Officials are not disclosing where they found Lee, since it is part of the investigation. Lee told police that he does not want to be placed in alternate care, so he is staying with his family members. 

Officials first reported Lee missing February 27. He was declared as a ward of the state and had a guardian at the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services. 

Special needs man missing after mother tried to scam him out of trust money using impostor, police say

Longmire remains behind bars without bond on charges of perjury, forgery, identity theft, theft by deception, criminal solicitation and exploitation of an at-risk adult.

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