A Park County man who claims to be the “business partner” of a 90-year-old Cody woman with a failing memory is accused of stealing more than $100,000 from her over at least a three-year span.
Joseph “Joey” E. Newton, 60, has been charged with three counts of exploitation of a vulnerable adult for allegedly convincing the older woman to write him dozens of checks for large sums of money, including money for bail and attorney’s fees, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in Park County Circuit Court.
Newton was arrested Thursday and could face up to 30 years in prison, fines up to $30,000, or both if convicted.
While it’s difficult to pinpoint just how much money the older Cody woman is out, a court-appointed conservator, looking out for her interests, reported that she had given Newton at least $150,000 since 2019, Cody Police Department Officer Rachael Boydston wrote in the affidavit.
Cowboy State Daily is not identifying the alleged victim because of the woman’s age and vulnerability.
The conservator also observed that as alleged business partners, about $80,000 had been paid to Newton from one of the woman’s bank accounts, the affidavit says, adding that it went from a balance of about $200,000 to $8,000.
Officials at multiple banks also reported to investigators they had concerns about the woman’s accounts and had flagged what they believed to be questionable expenses, but the woman would always back up Newton.
One noticed a withdrawal of $8,000 “requested to bail out a friend of Joey’s,” according to the affidavit. The bank declined the request.
Another withdrawal was for $10,000 for bail and attorney fees, and Newton said another for $5,000 “was for living expenses,” the alleged victim told investigators. She later clarified the $5,000 actually also was for bail.
One of the largest single withdrawals from that bank was in 2021 for $50,000 for what Newton reportedly told the older woman was for construction on a home, the affidavit says. No work has been completed on that project.
Another bank the woman does business with reported it also was concerned about large withdrawals that seemed sketchy.
The reason for one request for $10,000 was “bail money for friend,” while the woman “refused to say what it was for” on another occasion.
A third time with a withdrawal of $5,000, the woman replied, “I’m old, I don’t care about the money.”
Since 2019
The alleged exploitation began in 2019 after the woman’s husband died, although the charges only cover the period between Jan. 1, 2023, and Dec. 31, 2025, according to the affidavit.
The alleged victim owns property in several states, including in Park County, and Newton rented property from her. At some point, they became “business partners,” the document says.
The nature of the business is murky, however, seemingly based on Newton buying stuff with the woman’s money, then fixing the items and pawning or selling them. He told investigators he would give the cash back to the woman.
The 90-year-old woman backed that up, agreeing they were partners and that she gave him money, but she couldn’t recall how they met.
“I asked (the woman) how that relationship works, and I learned Newton allegedly buys things for (her), fixes them up, and sells them,” Boydston wrote. “I asked (her) how she gets paid back and (she) stated mostly in cash.”
When pressed about what happens to that cash, however, the older woman “was unsure of where she puts it and suggested she may spend it, but is unsure,” Boydston adds.
Their business arrangement doesn’t include Newton being paid for his services, and he does not pay rent to the woman for living in one of her properties, the affidavit says.
At no time does the woman claim that she feels she’s being taken advantage of, instead saying it’s her way of helping people.
When asked why she would pay legal fees for others, she replied: “I was just trying to help him out,” the affidavit says. “That’s what I do. I help people out. I don’t care if I get my money back or not, because money doesn’t mean anything to me.”
The Witnesses
Interviews with the woman and some of her longtime friends paints a picture of a 90-year-old woman with a failing memory whom they have been concerned about for years, especially the arrangement with Newton, according to the affidavit.
That includes a report from a doctor outlining the woman’s declining mental acuity, showing confusion at times about basic information.
“I did voice my concern about the patient’s loss of memory,” the doctor said, according to the affidavit. “The patient did not remember coming to the clinic.”
The conservator appointed to look after the woman’s finances in October told investigators her conclusion is that Newton has been allegedly taking advantage of her.
The conservator “asked Newton for documentation of what the money had been spent on,” the affidavit said. Since the creation of the conservator account, the woman “has continued to give funds to Newton.
“(The conservator) came to the conclusion after her own investigation that (the woman) was being ‘ripped off’ by Newton.”
That seems to also be the sentiment of several other witnesses interviewed over the course of the investigation.
One was from the woman’s spiritual leader at church, a longtime friend who has known her for 20 years.
He told Boydston he had noticed the older woman’s failing memory and was concerned. He also reported that Newton would also go to church with the woman.
The church leader “advises (her) memory is slipping and her communication details are declining,” the affidavit says. “Confusion and disorientation have increased within the last one to two years.
“Clearly, Mr. Newton has influenced (the woman) posing as a business partner to spend her money on his investments, which are of no value to (her),” he added, the affidavit reports.
He goes on to tell investigators that it’s clear to him that Newton “has befriended her, attended church with her and been very pleasant on the surface with many of us through interactions.
“From this friendly and pleasant influence, he slowly began receiving funds from (the woman),” he said. “This has grown into a circumstance I clearly view to be financially exploiting an aging widow.”
Put It On Her Bill
Another business associate of Newton gave a notarized statement to police about a short stint working for Newton.
She worked for him on the promise of being paid, with Newton telling her he was waiting for a check to come in, the affidavit says. After three months, he told her she wouldn’t be paid.
While she only saw Newton and the older woman interact a few times, she told Officer Boydston about a time in 2023 when she heard him call a utility company.
“He was calling the gas company to get heat on in his name and pay the bill, and then he said he didn’t have that amount and to just charge it to (the woman’s) account,” she said, according to the affidavit. “He was always saying he had to go meet (the woman) to get money.”
Newton also actively worked to keep other people away from the woman and if they wouldn’t he’d threaten them, the affidavit says.
He would brag about “how he goes to church to put on a show and act like a good church boy,” she added. “He said that (the woman) just loves him and gives him anything he wants and she spoils him.”
Newton remains in the Park County Detention Center on $250,000 bail.
Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.
