OKLA. CITY - John Hayes was born with severe birth defects and raised in an alcoholic household.
He keeps getting knocked down, literally.
“I broke my lower back, one broken bone, one ruptured disc,” he said.
Those injuries are from a bicycle accident last year and because of that crash John got a large insurance settlement.
The money was supposed to sustain him for years, but now it's gone.
John says a guy he met through work, Ronnie Taylor, tricked him into investing his entire savings, about $30,000 in a fake catering business.
Taylor occasionally gave John a lift home.
It was during one of those rides John says they stopped by his bank to use the ATM.
“Instead of checking, he hit savings inquiry, but instead of handing it to me, he reads the information and that's how he finds out there's anything at all,” John said.
John's true friend, Tim Herbel, believes Taylor saw dollar signs at that ATM.
“I don't know if he intended that when he first met john,” he said. “I doubt it because he didn't know John had that money, but once he did discover John had that money he took advantage of someone who had been taken advantage of his whole life.”
Edmond Police and prosecutors came to the same conclusion and charged Taylor with exploitation of a disabled person.
Bank records show large sums of cash withdrawn from John's account 31 times over a two month period from the Bank of Oklahoma branch at East 15th and Bryant in Edmond.
There is video of John and Taylor together at the bank withdrawing money from the ATM.
We asked to see it.
Right now police and prosecutors say they won't release it to us until after Taylor is charged and court proceedings are underway.
“Ronnie has made no attempt to contact us nor to make amends to john for the money that is unaccounted for,” Tim said.
The In Your Corner team's been looking for Ronnie Taylor for months.
We know he customizes and restores cars for a living.
We stopped by his Northwest Oklahoma City home.
A family member answered the door, but told us Taylor was inside hiding and didn't want to come out to talk to us.
The In Your Corner bottom line is John's savings is wiped out and no one can tell us where his money went.
There's no evidence the catering company ever existed.
No one's been able to show us a business plan, receipts, or written agreement.
The most heartbreaking part is the insurance money was supposed to help john with food, housing and living expenses, and his retirement.
Tim said, “A guy that his whole life has been abused or neglected and you came into his life to take care of him and now you're taking everything he's got.
There is still no word from Taylor.
He's pleaded not guilty to the crime.
His next hearing is scheduled for two weeks from now.