ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Stranger Allegedly Took Over $5 Million From 75-Year-Old Widower
Defendant Sentenced To Five Years In Prison
Allegedly Stole Cash, Stocks And Sold Victim’s Home
Financial elder abuse of seniors is a real problem throughout the State of California. The financial elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. represent victims of financial elder abuse throughout the State including in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Our litigators have seen a variety of fact patterns in financial elder abuse cases but with one common denominator – the victim is an isolated older man or woman often recently widowed. The pandemic has expanded the isolation of the elderly and the risk of financial elder abuse has really spiked at this time. If you or a loved one has been the victim of financial elder abuse, call our litigators today at (415)441-8669.
Dementia Sufferer A Victim of Large Scale Abuse
In one recently reported case,[1] a 50-year-old woman was sentenced for her alleged financial elder abuse of a 75-year-old widower suffering from dementia. According to case records, defendant had gained accessed to close to $6 million in assets, withdrawn hundreds of thousands of dollars from the victim’s accounts, selling her victim’s stock and even selling her victim’s home. According to court records, the defendant used this money to buy houses for herself and her daughter, pay off her daughter’s school loans of $150,000, and to gamble with her victim’s money. The victim’s granddaughter testified at the sentencing hearing that defendant stole precious family heirlooms, her grandparents’ beautiful home, and separated the family from their grandfather by claiming that his deceased wife was speaking through her and convincing him to have no contact with his family. The sentencing judge said the following in handing down a five-year prison sentence to the defendant: “I just don’t understand how greedy someone can actually be to not give a hoot about how it impacts the victim. Millions of dollars have been taken and lost. It is incredulous.”
Protecting Loved Ones From Financial Elder Abuse
Staying involved in an isolated senior’s life is the most important thing you can do to prevent this kind of devastating financial elder abuse. While that is complicated right now due to COVID, you can stay in touch over the phone or Facetime, Zoom or the like and also safely review bank statements and financial records online or through the mail. If the senior has an in-home caregiver be especially vigilant about watching financial matters for the senior. Never ever give a Power of Attorney to a caregiver. If you suspect any abuse, call the authorities but also contact elder abuse counsel, like the elder abuse litigators at Evans Law Firm, right away.
Contact Us
If you or someone you love is the victim of financial elder abuse by a “friend” of a senior, a second spouse, caregiver, or other person in Los Angeles County, Orange County, or elsewhere in California, call Ingrid M. Evans and the other financial elder abuse attorneys at Evans Law Firm, Inc. at (415) 441-8669, or by email at info@evanslaw.com. We will pursue all available remedies against those responsible for the financial elder abuse of the senior, including damages, rescission (undoing a fraudulent transaction), restitution (getting your money back), extra damages (to punish illegal behavior), and the award of attorneys’ fees and costs for bringing your action.
[1] Evans Law Firm, Inc. was not involved in the case in any way.
