Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 28, 1992 TAG: 9203280296
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
As part of a plea agreement reached Thursday in Salem Circuit Court, Evelyn V. Zimmerman paid $30,000 in restitution.
Zimmerman, 46, had been charged with more than 60 counts of obtaining money by false pretenses - both felonies and misdemeanors - but those charges were dropped as part of the agreement, Commonwealth's Attorney Fred King said.
In return, Zimmerman pleaded guilty to two counts of filing false income tax returns that did not report her illegally gained income in 1989 and 1990. She will be sentenced on those charges next month.
Authorities have said that Zimmerman, who also runs an antiques business, targeted elderly residents and persuaded them to buy wallet-sized "Medi-Cards" that contained their complete medical histories on small pieces of microfilm.
Although the cards were worthless to hospitals, Zimmerman was able to convince many of her customers that they were lifesavers.
"A lot of the folks thought highly of her," King said. "She would stop by to chat, get to know them . . . and then walk away with their money."
King said that although the plea agreement does not require Zimmerman to make any additional restitution, it does not bar the victims from seeking the remaining money by other court action.
Zimmerman was charged with defrauding more than 15 senior citizens for amounts that ranged from $49.95 to more than $25,000. In addition to offering updates on the cards, she also promised to file insurance claims and provide a courier service.
One reason for seeking the plea agreement, King said, was that it provided an immediate payback for most of the victims, some of whom are low-income.
"For some of these folks, $49 would make a lot of difference in what they will be eating tonight," King said.
***CORRECTION***
Published correction ran on April 11, 1992.
Amplification
Evelyn V. Zimmerman of Roanoke is the person who pleaded guilty last month to cheating elderly Salem residents who purchased her worthless medical-history cards. Evelyn P. Zimmerman, who also lives in Roanoke, has received harassing phone calls from people mistaking her for Evelyn V. Zimmerman.
Memo: CORRECTION