Woman accused of marrying man to access his bank account charged with three felonies

A masseuse accused of marrying a 78-year-old man with dementia so she could gain access to his bank account was charged this afternoon with three felonies.

The massage therapist, Sujinda Yahatta, 56, and Kulany Roeksbutr, 29, who police describe as her accomplice, were each charged with first-degree kidnapping, attempted theft and obtaining a signature by deception or duress. If convicted, they could face up to seven years in prison.

The women were arrested Thursday after employees at an Issaquah nursing home said they took the man from the home without permission.

Employees at Greenwood Point Adult Family Home said that the women claimed they were taking the man out for lunch, but Issaquah police say they instead took him to a Bellevue courthouse, where Yahatta and the man were married.

Their next stop, say police, was a nearby Bank of America branch. Once there, police say, Yahatta tried to close out the man's bank account, but was foiled by bank employees.

Yahatta and Roeksbutr could not be reached for comment. The women bailed out of the King County Jail on $25,000 bail, but the King County Prosecutor's Office asked a judge today to have police rearrest the women and increase their bail to $100,000 each.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Page Ulrey said in charging documents that both women have ties to Thailand and could potentially flee.

When police interviewed the man after the wedding he was confused about what was going on and said that he didn't know either woman, according to a police report. Several days after the wedding, the man told authorities he didn't remember getting married to Yahatta, who briefly worked as his massage therapist.

The Times is not naming the man because of his vulnerability.

An employee at the nursing home told police that she forbid Yahatta and Roeksbutr from taking the man to lunch on Nov. 22 but they ignored her. The employee told police she was taken aback by Yahatta's attire for lunch and a trip to the park — a black dress and high heels.

King County District Court Judge Janet Garrow had received a call from Yahatta on Nov. 19 asking her to perform the wedding for $150, the police report said. Authorities said Yahatta applied for the license Nov. 19.

The man's guardian, Eldon Kenney, 73, of Bellevue, told police he was stunned when he received a call on Nov. 22 from a Bank of America teller who said two women were trying to drain the man's account.

One teller told police the elderly man wanted to close his accounts and that the two women requested a cashier's check for the balance of nearly $23,000, according to police.

One bank employee told police the man had a "vacant" look on his face.

Yahatta showed tellers a copy of the couple's marriage certificate. But employees were suspicious and one called Kenney, whose name was on guardianship paperwork filed at the Bellevue bank.

According to police, after Kenney received that phone call he froze the man's account. Bellevue police arrived at the bank and investigated but made no arrests. The case was turned over to Issaquah police.

"I just can't believe it," said Kenney, who hired Yahatta to work as his friend's massage therapist. "She was so friendly and I don't know why it happened."

David Nold, the man's civil attorney, is pushing to have the marriage annulled, but he said Yahatta refuses.

"You can annul a marriage if it hasn't been consummated or there has been fraud. We want it to happen quickly, before she [Yahatta] makes some claim at a later date this was a bona fide union," Nold said. "She was trying to take advantage of an elderly person."

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com