Woman sentenced to 20 years for fraud scheme that involved disposing of man's body in San Francisco bay

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Caroline Joanne Herrling, also known as 'Carrie Phenix', has been sentenced to 20 years in prison following her involvement in a scheme worth nearly $3.9 million, aimed at seizing an elderly man's home, as per New York Post.

The US Attorney's Office in the Central District of California made the announcement via a press release on Monday. 

Additionally, Herrling has been ordered to pay $3,887,051 in restitution for fraudulently acquiring ownership of real estate and money through identity theft and forged power-of-attorney forms.

Caroline Herrling initiated plan to seize neglected properties in 2020

The release stated that Caroline Herrling, aged 44, and her partners in crime initiated their plan by targeting people living in wealthy neighborhoods with neglected properties, such as those with algae-filled swimming pools or overgrown shrubs. 

In 2020, their scheme led them to the home of an elderly man in Sherman Oaks, California, who passed away mysteriously that year. The man was later identified as Charles Wilding in a criminal complaint against Herrling. 

The US Attorney's Office revealed that they are unsure about the cause of Wilding's death but suspect that Herrling and others took control of his property while his body decomposed in his home. 

Instead of reporting his death, Herrling and her co-conspirators left his body in the house while they stole his assets. 

Herrling utilized a forged power-of-attorney form to impersonate the victim and unlawfully acquire his real estate and financial assets.

What happened to Charles Wilding?

The complaint also mentioned that the Los Angeles Police Department initiated an investigation into Wilding’s disappearance in 2021 and they uncovered Herrling’s fraudulent activities.

She portrayed herself as Wilding's "close friend," declared herself a trustee of his family trust, and informed the police that he had relocated. 

"She stated that Wilding was not home and was staying with friends in the City of Carpinteria, while she was working to get the house back in order, as it was in disarray and contained black mold," the complaint stated

According to the press release, Herrling and her accomplices transported the deceased victim's body to her apartment and attempted to dissolve it using chemicals. 

When this method failed, they dismembered the body, sealed the pieces in vacuum bags, and disposed of them in San Francisco Bay. 

The victim's remains have never been recovered. 

Caroline Herrling also forged other victims' will

The authorities revealed in the release that Herrling had been named as the executor and beneficiary of another victim's will, which she forged and allegedly "discovered" in a safe deposit box rented by the deceased victim's mother.

"Based on this forged will, the missing victim was to inherit an estate worth more than $1.7 million — assets that ultimately fell under Herrling’s control as the trustee for his estate," the release explained.

The group perpetrated another scheme against a third victim, identified as Robert Tascon, where they unlawfully sold his home using a conspirator with a fake ID posing as Tascon, without his consent.

Officials stated, "Herrling set up accounts to receive the proceeds of the sale of this victim’s real estate, a transaction that generated approximately $1.5 million."

Moreover, they added, "The victim, who was already suffering from mental-health issues, took his own life after losing his home. Herrling later used her ill-gotten gains to purchase a residence in West Hills."

According to the complaint, "The buyer of Tascon’s property is currently in a civil dispute with Tascon’s estate. Tascon died of a gunshot wound to the head on September 11, 2022."

In October 2023, one of Herling's associates, Matthew Jason Kroth, aged 50, admitted guilt to a single charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and another charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

As mentioned in the statement, Kroth could be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud and up to 40 years for trafficking methamphetamine. 

His sentencing is set for June 7.