A Central Lake man was sentenced this morning to spend the next 10 to 20 years in prison in the 33rd Circuit Court.

Fredrick Cords, Jr., of Central Lake, was accused of defrauding an elderly Marion Township man of more than $80,000 over a period from 2012 through 2014.  In a trial held earlier this month in the Charlevoix County Circuit Court, a jury found Cords guilty of Defrauding a Vulnerable Adult in an amount of $50,000 or more but less than $100,000.

Cords had a lengthy history of theft and fraud crimes dating back to 1988, and was charged as a Habitual Offender, which made the maximum possible sentence life in prison.

Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Mark Muniak, who tried the case, said that “although the victim in this case will never be fully repaid, at least he and his family can have some comfort in the fact that justice was done.”

Muniak thanked Michigan State Police Trooper James Armstrong and Michigan Dept. of Health and Human Services worker Savanah Cool, who were instrumental in the successful prosecution of this predator.