Stanley Ho said his Christian beliefs spurred him to give more than $20,000 in cash to two "sisters" he met in Chinatown, the younger of whom purportedly needed money for an operation.

The two women allegedly duped the 73-year-old Pauoa man out of more than $20,000 in cash — and he admits he was about to give them another $120,000 to repair a termite-eaten house in San Francisco they claimed to own.

Authorities charged the older woman, Katy Sterio, 34, with first-degree theft and attempted first-degree theft on Saturday. Bail was set at $150,000.

Sterio has a history in California of scamming the elderly out of thousands of dollars in cash and merchandise. Police are continuing to investigate the other woman’s role.

The case, police and others say, reflects the ongoing problem of con artists preying upon the elderly, often easy targets.

Pearl City police Sgt. Lloyd Dabaluz said Saturday that individuals manipulate seniors with offers of roof repairs or fence-building and many are unlicensed.

"They’re smooth talkers, experienced salespersons with the pitch," he said. "They give them a good deal. They want the cash up front."

But the work is done "under par, not as specified and not done or halfway decent."

He encourages seniors to consult with their children or the Better Business Bureau and make sure the contractors are licensed with the state.

"Our hands are tied when the job is already done," he said.

Barbara Kim Stanton of AARP Hawaii said: "When seniors get scammed from a stranger, it’s not that unusual because a lot of seniors aren’t as careful as they should be, especially if they don’t have many friends and family around them. They tend to be more vulnerable."

She suggests having a trusted person monitor their finances by making sure deposits go into an account for bill payments, and having a small set amount go into a discretionary account that the elderly person can access. That, she said, "curbs immediately the amount that an unscrupulous person would have access to."

The two women approached Ho near Kekaulike Market and told him they were hungry, so he took them to McDonald’s.

"I’m a Christian, so I like to be kind, so I tell her, ‘OK,’" he said.

The younger woman, in her 20s, told him that "God sent her to marry me," Ho recalled. "In my heart, I not sure, but I wen’ believe that part."

But the younger woman needed money for surgery, they told Ho.

In a telephone interview Saturday, Ho said he withdrew cash from three different banks on different days, first $6,000, then $8,000, then $10,000.

A member of the International Baptist Church, Ho said, "I’m a true believer, so I did that. I be a spiritual Christian."

When the women said they needed money for the house repairs, he gave them an $18,000 cashier’s check.

When the bank called him about the check, he said it was for a woman named Gina, and the bank alerted police.

It wasn’t until the older "sister" denied taking money and was arrested and handcuffed did Ho begin to realize she may have been lying.

In 2007, according to new reports and the Orange County district attorney’s office, Sterio and another woman, Tiffany Grey, bilked a 77-year-old Orange County, Calif., man who lived alone out of thousands in cash and a car. They claimed to be new in town.

He helped them get credit, which they used to buy $28,000 in jewelry.

They later told him Sterio needed $50,000 for surgery. That’s when a niece stepped in.

The two pleaded guilty to four counts of financial elder abuse, and were sentenced to six months in jail and ordered to pay restitution.