ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
According to a Santa Rosa police sergeant, the Santa Rosa police recently arrested a self-employed counselor for elderly clients on suspicion of financial elder abuse. The suspect is accused of stealing $26,000 from an elderly client over four months.
According to Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Lisa Banayat, the suspect, Andrew Ross, became a trustee of the 86-year-old woman’s personal checking account in October and made several electronic transfers to his personal accounts. He also allegedly created fraudulent invoices for services, which the client paid.
Ross, who founded Creative Counseling for Elders and Families a decade ago, was arrested and was booked in the Sonoma County Jail for financial elder abuse and grand theft. According to Sonoma County financial elder abuse attorneys, criminal elder abuse occurs where any person who violates any provision of law proscribing theft, embezzlement, forgery, or fraud of an elder and who knows or reasonably should know that the victim is an elder.
The victim had been released from court-ordered conservatorship in 2014 and was using Creative Counseling for Elders and Families to help her cope with memory loss. She has been diagnosed with severe memory loss. Authorities were alerted to the fraud when a social worker with Adult Protective Services informed police about a potential financial elder abuse case on March 27.
Sonoma County financial elder abuse attorneys warn that elder abuse is a widespread and growing issue, and emphasize that elders and their loved ones should exercise caution when selecting counselors, financial brokers, etc.
Evans Law Firm, Inc. has offices in Sonoma, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, and handles all types of elder abuse cases, including financial elder abuse lawsuits. If you or a loved one has been a victim of financial elder abuse, please contact Evans Law Firm, Inc. at 415-441-8669 or via email at info@evanslaw.com.
