KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A man was in the custody of law enforcement officers Friday, accused of swindling his friend out of thousands of dollars.

Prosecutors said Richard Ramboa ripped off an elderly man to the tune of about $100,000 during a 15-year period.

The 74-year-old victim had a brain injury that left him impaired in his Kansas City home. The crime would have continued if some of the victim's church members hadn't stopped by, according to authorities.

"Two members of his church stopped in to check on him and they discovered he was malnourished and dehydrated," said Jackson County Prosecutor Jim Kanatzar.

The man is being treated in a nursing home, and Ramboa was in custody Friday on a $50,000 bond. The prosecutor said he intended to seek the maximum sentence of 16 years in prison.