Jan. 29—GRAND FORKS — A Grand Forks man has been charged with two felonies relating to stealing from and exploiting an elderly woman with reported cognitive issues.

A criminal case was filed against David Lee Cooper on Friday, Jan. 26.

Cooper, 60, is charged with Class A felony theft over $50,000 and Class C felony exploitation of an adult who lacks the capacity to consent — between $1,000 and $10,000.

The Class A felony has a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and $20,000 in fines.

On June 29, a Grand Forks officer was dispatched for suspicious activity. Two individuals reported that their 81-year-old mother had been taken advantage of by Cooper, who had been one of her tenants in a rental unit since approximately 2011, according to a probable cause statement filed in the case.

The two children said they recently were appointed as their mother’s guardians due to concerns regarding her mental health and memory-related cognitive issues.

Reviewing her bank account, they discovered numerous checks were written to Cooper between 2021 and 2023 that totaled $116,450.

When an officer interviewed the woman, she seemed confused and struggled to answer numerous questions. Asked if she knew how much money Cooper borrowed from her, the woman said she didn’t know, the statement said.

Law enforcement spoke with Cooper in December. He confirmed he’d been the woman’s tenant and borrowed a large sum of money from her over several years to purchase sports cards as an investment, the statement said.

Cooper allegedly said the woman’s family hadn’t been there for her, but denied any knowledge that she was experiencing a decline in her cognitive abilities.

On another day, Cooper showed up at the police department requesting to take a polygraph test, the statement said. He allegedly admitted to a prior gambling problem but denied using the woman’s money for gambling.

Cooper said he used some of the borrowed money to help his daughter, as well as to travel to sporting card shows, the statement said.

In another interview, Cooper allegedly told police he’d given the sports cards to someone else to sell. The man confirmed he purchased cards from Cooper — but only for $15,000, the statement said.

A warrant was issued for Cooper’s arrest on Monday, Jan. 29, but he had not been taken into custody as of late Monday afternoon.