HIGHLANDS, N.Y. (AP) — A New York man is accused of holding an 81-year-old Marine Corps veteran hostage in an upstate motel room for at least four years in order to steal his benefits checks.

Forty-three-year-old Perry Coniglio was arrested Tuesday is his room adjoining the victim's at a motel in Highlands in the Hudson Valley. Coniglio has been charged with grand larceny, unlawful imprisonment and related offenses.

Police say he used brute force and intimidation to get the elderly and diminished veteran to cooperate with him. Investigators say the victim received three checks every month. It's unclear how much those were worth.

The victim has been taken to a hospital for evaluation.

Coniglio is being held in the Orange County Jail in lieu of $15,000 bail. It's unclear if Coniglio has an attorney who could comment on the charges.

[STORY BY: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS]

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