Holocaust hero accused of conning 93-year-old

Allegedly controlled bank accounts
The couple persuaded her to give them power of attorney over her bank accounts, investigators said.

In May, the Bells flew with Zaniewska to Poland under the guise of taking her to visit old friends, police said. The Bells dropped her at a nursing home and returned to Palm Beach.

Police were contacted in August by a bank manager who wondered why the Bells were withdrawing Zaniewska's money. Police eventually found Zaniewska at the nursing home.

"Thank God you found me," she told authorities, according to police.

Zaniewska returned Oct. 4. Prosecutors charged the couple with scheming to defraud Zaniewska, exploitation of the elderly and theft.

"This whole notion that the Bells sent this poor lady to Poland so they could steal her money is just preposterous," said the couple's attorney, Steven Gomberg.

He said the Bells were financially comfortable and were simply helping Zaniewska with her finances as her mental capacity diminished.

"We have people here, elderly people, in their 90s who are losing their faculties and have financial assets that need to be preserved and unfortunately have nobody else," Gomberg said. He added: "There was nothing stolen. She's not lost a penny."

Woman 'has all her faculties'
Ewa Chyra, director of the nursing home in Poland, said Zaniewska "was aware of where she was, what was going on, who brought her here."

"Zaniewska told various stories, so one could doubt some of what she said," Chyra said. "Her moods changed a lot, from euphoria to depression, and her behavior depended a lot on her mood. She can be a very friendly, talkative, witty person ... while she can also swing to the complete opposite, and be aggressive and suspicious."

Zaniewska's attorney, Robert Montgomery, said she "has all her faculties" but fell victim to the Bells.

"They stole money from her, there's no question about that, pretty much cleaned her out," Montgomery said. "She was taken advantage of."

Aron Bell did not return repeated telephone messages. Zaniewska's number is unpublished and efforts to reach her at her condo were unsuccessful.

Peter Duffy, who spent many hours interviewing Aron Bell for the 2003 book "The Bielski Brothers," said: "I'm just not willing to concede that this is actually what happened. It doesn't make any sense."

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