Former restauranteur sentenced to 30 months in prison for defrauding elderly victim

Seattle - The former owner of a Lake Sammamish restaurant was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle 30 months in prison for wire fraud and filing a false tax return in connection with his theft from a former elderly customer, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Richard Dale Radcliffe, 62, admitted on November 12, 2025, that he illegally took $515,000 from the financial accounts of an elderly woman he befriended for the purpose of personally benefiting from her wealth. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Lauren King said, "(The victim) trusted and believed that you would use her money for her care… You used your access and control over accounts to enrich yourself…. You exploited her for your gain to the tune of half a million dollars."

"This defendant ingratiated himself into the life of an elderly widow, encouraging her to make him and his family beneficiaries in her will," said First Assistant Neil Floyd. "But he did not wait for her death to start taking her money - he raided her accounts to pay for his own luxuries. His callous conduct is deserving of this prison sentence."

According to documents filed in the case, Radcliffe cultivated a friendship with a widow who lived near his restaurant after he learned about her significant wealth. The widow was elderly and suffering cognitive decline. Within a few months of their friendship beginning, Radcliffe arranged for a friend of his to serve as the power of attorney for the victim, with Radcliffe still having access and control over the victim's bank accounts. Radcliffe became the beneficiary of her will shortly thereafter. The victim had no surviving family members, and trusted Radcliffe to assist her with her finances and take care of her bills. Radcliffe abused his access to her accounts and used her money for his own real estate purchases, gambling, travel, and restaurant operation expenses. He convinced his friend, as power of attorney, to liquidate over $800,000 from the victim's retirement account to fund the purchase of a home for himself in North Carolina by falsely claiming that he was entitled that amount as reimbursement for money that he spent on the victim's care and for remodeling her home.

The victim ultimately moved into an assisted living facility and passed away in November 2020. The facility where the victim lived noted that Radcliffe resisted paying for extra services and supplies she needed, claiming she did not have the money to pay for them. Instead, Radcliffe moved into her $2 million waterfront home and later inherited her sizable estate.

Following the victim's death, Radcliffe attempted to claim a life insurance benefit by posing as her deceased spouse. The life insurance company reported the fraud attempt to the FBI, thus kicking off the federal investigation. However, numerous local investigations were already underway because several individuals reported their concerns to Washington State Adult Protective Services and the King County Sheriff's Office about Radcliffe's exploitative behavior.

In asking for a 46-month sentence Assistant United States Attorney Grace Zoller wrote to the court, "at its core, this case is about taking advantage of someone in their most vulnerable state. Radcliffe met an elderly widow, alone for the first time in over fifty years following the death of her partner, who was suffering from cognitive decline and (he)saw it as an opportunity to line his own pockets. Radcliffe manipulated that elderly widow with attention and flattery to the point she believed she was in a romantic relationship with Radcliffe…"

When Radcliffe filed his taxes in February 2021, he failed to report the $437,000 he embezzled from the victim's accounts. That additional income resulted in a tax liability of $124,000 he did not report to the IRS. As part of his plea agreement Radcliffe will pay $124,000 to the IRS.

"It was exceptionally cold-hearted of Mr. Radcliffe to prey on this victim's loneliness and age," said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. "He befriended her to take advantage of her, stealing her money, taking her home and estate. But ultimately, Mr. Radcliffe's greed caught up with him, resulting in today's well-deserved prison sentence. The FBI, IRS, and other partners will carefully follow the money to hold fraudsters accountable for their crimes."

"While Mr. Radcliffe's victim is, unfortunately, no longer with us, we're glad the public knows her story," said Carrie Nordyke, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation's Seattle Field Office. "We hope this ruling gives pause to fraudsters who think they can escape accountability by targeting the vulnerable."

Radcliffe will be on supervised release for three years following prison and was ordered to pay a $20,000 fine in addition to the forfeiture of $515,000 and $124,000 restitution to the IRS.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), with valuable assistance from the King County Sheriff's Office and Washington State Adult Protective Services. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica Manca and Grace Zoller.