Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Flaherty, Jr. announces that 41-year-old Eric Marshall of Grand Island has been arraigned in front of Erie County Court Judge Thomas P. Franczyk on an indictment charging him with three counts of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree and one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree. 

It is alleged that between July 2009 and July 2016, the defendant defrauded three women of thousands of dollars. 

Marshall met two of the women on online dating sites.  One of them gave the defendant $700 a month for almost seven years believing the money was paying for a house they were renting to buy.  She also gave him money for clothing, travel and other expenses. The other woman who thought she was his love interest was paying about $1500 a month, plus several loans and $8,000 to fix a water leak on a nonexistent home she thought they were invested in. 

The third woman also gave the defendant money for a house she thought they would be living in. 

Marshall pleaded not guilty and was remanded to jail without bail. He faces a maximum of 45 years in prison if convicted of the charges. 

Acting DA Flaherty commends Detective Daniel Brinkerhoff of the Erie County Sheriff’s Office for his thorough investigative work. 

Assistant District Attorney Candace K. Vogel is prosecuting the case. 

As are all persons accused of a crime, the defendant is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.