POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A Lakeland man was arrested for stealing money from grieving families after being paid to make tomb headstones that he never made.
Between April 2021 and May 2023, 55-year-old Robert Lamothe stole more than $150,000 from 34 people, according to the arrest affidavit from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
He was arrested on March 7 and is being charged with 31 counts of third-degree felony grand theft, three counts of misdemeanor petit theft and one count of felony aggravated white-collar crime, deputies said.
He has a previous criminal record and was arrested in May 2023 for three counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with children between 12 and 16. He pleaded not guilty in October but has a competency hearing on April 23, according to court records.
Lamothe was already being held in the Polk County Jail when the new charges were filed. His arraignment for stealing money is set for April 9.
