Jazz musician Cecil Taylor swindled out of $500,000 prize money

Jazz pianist Cecil Taylor was conned out of $500,000 in prize money by a general contractor who had been working on the house next door.

Noel Muir allegedly befriended the 85-year-old Taylor during his time working at the other house and then tagged along with the musician when he flew to Japan after he won the Inamori Foundation of Japan's Kyoto Award in 2013, The Associated Press reports.

The global achievement award comes with $500,000 in prize money which somehow Muir was able to get deposited into his bank account.

According to Reuters, Muir was arrested for grand larceny, which comes with a potential 15-year prison sentence. On Tuesday morning he was set to be arraigned in Brooklyn.

"The defendant befriend Mr. Taylor and won his trust," District Attorney Kenneth Thompson said in a statement, "which later made it easier for him to allegedly swindle this vulnerable, elderly and great jazz musician."

The 54-year-old contractor convinced the Inamori Foundation the bank account details he provided were for The Cecil Taylor Foundation, when it was really under MCAI Construction.