Suspect arrested in 2022 for defrauding a Santa Rosa senior in a Ponzi scheme has been found guilty on 24 felony counts following a three-week trial

Elana Cohen-Roth, an 80-year-old resident of the Los Angeles area, was found guilty in Sonoma County Superior Court today of 24 felony charges following a 3-week trial related to an elaborate Ponzi scheme targeting the elderly community. An elderly Santa Rosa resident believed she was investing in lucrative high-yielding investment opportunities, making 24 transfers to Cohen-Roth between 2013 and 2019, totaling over $1.5 million. The victim was forced to take a reverse mortgage on her home to continue “investing” with Cohen-Roth, eventually leading the victim to become more than $270,000 in debt. In December 2020, after the victim no longer had any funds to invest and asked for her investments to be liquidated, the suspect’s demeanor and communications raised suspicions, and detectives with the Santa Rosa Police Department (SRPD) Property Crimes Investigations Team (PCI) were notified. 

In January of 2021, PCI detectives recovered evidence of the financial abuse following the service of several search warrants at Cohen-Roth's residence and place of business in Southern California. At the time, Cohen-Roth, a former IRS Field Agent and IRS Tax Auditor, was working as an enrolled agent and tax return practitioner in Los Angeles, CA.  

Over the next 12 months, head investigator Detective Jeff Woods and other PCI detectives authored and served numerous additional search warrants, audited financial records, and combed through mountains of evidence to uncover the $1.5 million financial loss to the Santa Rosa victim. During their investigation, numerous other suspected victims residing in other jurisdictions were identified. It is suspected that Cohen-Roth took in over $4.8 million from numerous victims over the course of this scheme. The jurisdictional agencies related to the additional victims were notified by PCI of the fraud that occurred in their jurisdictions.  

Cohen-Roth was arrested by SRPD PCI detectives with the assistance of the Los Angeles Police Department on January 18, 2022, at her residence in Marina del Rey. Cohen-Roth was transferred to Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility on January 24 and released on bail on January 27, 2022, remaining out of custody through the end of her 2025 jury trial. Following her guilty verdict, Cohen-Roth was immediately remanded into custody for the following charges: 

20 counts of 368(d) PC – Felony financial elder abuse 

3 counts of 186.10(a) PC – Felony money laundering 

1 count of 186.11(a)(2) PC – Felony aggravated white collar crime 

The Santa Rosa Police Department extends its gratitude to the members of the jury in this trial for their time, service, and dedication to the pursuit of justice. We would also like to thank the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office for their diligence and commitment throughout this case which were instrumental in securing this guilty verdict. 

Santa Rosa Police Department case number 20-14466. 

Media inquiries can be made to Sgt. Patricia Seffens, Public Information Officer, at 707-543-3634 or pseffens@srcity.org. 

**Original Message from 2022** 

ARREST: Financial Elder Abuse & Fraud 

In December 2020, Santa Rosa Police officers responded to the report of a possible fraud investigation, involving an elderly victim. The victim, a 73-year-old Santa Rosa resident, reported to officers that over the course of several years, she entrusted a significant amount of funds to an acquaintance. The acquaintance agreed to invest those funds on the victim’s behalf. The victim met the suspect in 2012, through a mutual friend. Based on the initial report, the Property Crimes Investigations Team suspected the victim had been defrauded of a significant amount of money and took over the criminal investigation.  

In January of 2021, members of the Property Crimes Investigations Team served search warrants in Marina Del Rey, CA at the suspect’s residence, and at the suspect’s place of business located in Los Angeles, CA. During those warrant services, detectives located boxes of financial documents and correspondence and seized them as evidence. Over the next 12 months, detectives authored multiple search warrants, combed through electronic communications and financial documents, and completed several victim interviews. Detectives thoroughly audited numerous bank accounts and thousands of banking transactions over the course of several years for the victim and suspect.  

Detectives confirmed their suspicions and learned the victim had lost more than $1 million to the suspect over a seven-year period. The victim believed she was investing in lucrative high-yielding investment opportunities. When the victim no longer had any funds to invest and asked for her investments to be liquidated, the suspect’s demeanor and communications raised suspicions.

The suspect was identified as 77-year-old Marina Del Rey resident, Elana Cohen-Roth. Cohen-Roth is a former IRS Field Agent and IRS Tax Auditor, currently working as an enrolled agent and tax return practitioner in Los Angeles, CA.  

In early January 2022, detectives worked with the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office and secured a No Bail arrest warrant for Cohen-Roth. The warrant for Cohen-Roth included the following charges: 

• 368(d) PC – (Felony) Financial Elder Abuse (22 counts) 

• 186.10(a) PC – (Felony) Money Laundering (3 counts) 

On January 18, 2022, at approximately 12:45 P.M. Detectives from the SRPD Property Crimes Team with assistance from the Los Angeles Police Department, arrested Cohen-Roth for the outstanding warrant at her residence in the 100-block of Northstar Mall, Marina Del Rey, CA. Cohen-Roth was booked into the LA Metropolitan Detention Center Jail and is expected to be transferred to the Sonoma County jail this week.  

SRPD detectives believe there are other victims of Cohen-Roth’s Ponzi scheme, in California, who have also invested significant funds through Cohen-Roth, for high yield investments. Cohen-Roth’s Ponzi scheme patterns consisted of making interest payments to her investors/victims, while using incoming “investment” funds to allow for her lavish lifestyle. If you believe you have been a victim of Cohen-Roth, please make a criminal report with the local jurisdiction you live in.