A San Fernando Valley woman who a United States District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong judge said viewed another human as a “cash register” was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on Friday for her role in a fraud scheme that included the dismemberment and disposal of a man’s body.
Caroline Joanne Herrling, 44, a.k.a. “Carrie Phenix,” of West Hills, pleaded guilty in March 2023 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She’s been in federal custody since January of last year.
Federal prosecutors say Herrling fraudulently obtained ownership of real estate and funds through identity theft and forged power-of-attorney forms. The scheme totaled nearly $4 million, an amount she’s been ordered to repay in institutions.
“This defendant’s misconduct was both greedy and grotesque, causing profound pain to the victims and their loved ones,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “There must be serious consequences for those who prey on vulnerable communities, such as older adults, and my office will remain steadfast in bringing these offenders to justice.”
Court documents showed that Herrling and her co-conspirators searched affluent neighborhoods for homes they deemed to be miskept, looking for signs like algae-filled pools and overgrown shrubs.
One such home was found in Sherman Oaks in 2020. Herrling and others broke into a home where a single, elderly man lived.
After the man died from unknown circumstances in September 2020, Herrling and her co-conspirators took over the property while the deceased body rotted in the home, according to prosecutors. His assets were then looted and Herrling forged a power-of-attorney form in order to have ultimate say on his real estate and finances.
In October 2021, the man was reported missing by neighbors. When speaking to police, Herrling said the man moved to Carpinteria and that she was a close family friend.
She was listed as the trustee of the victim’s family trust, which was forged.
After realizing that law enforcement was investigating his disappearance, Herrling and her co-conspirators dismembered his body, put the parts in vacuum-sealed bags and transported them to the Bay Area. The investigation revealed that they were later dumped into the waters of the San Francisco Bay, but the body parts were never recovered.
United States District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong said Herrling didn’t see the victim as a man, but instead a “cash register.” The deceased man was listed as a beneficiary of another person’s will, which was later found to be another forgery by Herrling.
Prosecutors said Herrling also defrauded a third victim by selling his home without his consent for about $1.5 million. Herrling purchased a West Hills house with that money.
That victim died by suicide after losing his home.
Matthew Jason Kroth, 50, of Tarzana, a co-conspirator of Herrling, also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in October. He’ll be sentenced for that, as well as methamphetamine trafficking, in June. He faces up to 60 years in prison.
