Buffalo man accused of stealing from elderly relative

Jamire Y. Barber, 35, was arraigned Tuesday morning before State Supreme Court Justice Deborah A. Haendiges on a felony charge of second-degree grand larceny.

A fire occurred in January 2022 at the 72-year-old victim’s home on Brinkman Avenue while the victim was hospitalized due to a medical issue, prosecutors said. After the fire, Barber was the primary point of contact for the homeowner’s insurance claim.

On April 13, 2022, Barber allegedly received a check from the insurance company worth $176,410. Instead of depositing the check into the joint account he shared with the victim, Barber deposited the money into his personal savings account, prosecutors said.

Over the next four months, instead of paying for the victim’s housing and medical expenses, Barber allegedly stole most of the insurance claims money through cash withdrawals, gambling and online and purchasing personal items including jewelry, designer clothing and vehicles.

Barber is being held without bail and is scheduled to hold a pretrial conference at 2:30 p.m. on May 28.