ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
A Santa Barbara resident has been arrested on financial elder abuse charges. According to detectives who investigated the case, the defendant took more than $650,000 from an elderly victim. The victim is an 80 year-old man who has Alzheimer’s. Santa Barbara financial elder abuse attorneys say that people with Alzheimer’s are vulnerable to exploitation.
In this case, the defendant was a longtime acquaintance of the victim. She took over responsibility for caring for the victim after the relatives that lived near him passed away. It is alleged that she took advantage of the situation by spending his money. According to detectives who worked on the case, the defendant used the elderly victim’s money to purchase a mobile home, shop online, pay for psychic services, and make multiple purchases per day from QVC and the Home Shopping Network. Santa Barbara financial elder abuse attorneys say that we should keep a close eye on our elder relatives who are vulnerable to exploitation.
The defendant in this case got married to the victim, and then filed for a divorce two weeks later. In the divorce petition, the defendant asked for spousal support of $10,000 per month. Police did not reveal who performed the marriage. However, it is appalling that anybody would marry these two people when the victim clearly had Alzheimer’s. Relatives of the victim visited him and found him malnourished, and living in filth. That is when police were called and the investigation began. The defendant has been charged with financial elder abuse, elder neglect, and grand theft. Santa Barbara financial elder abuse attorneys say that this case is a good example of why we need to watch out for those who would take advantage of our elder relatives.
Evans Law Firm, Inc. handles elder abuse, financial elder abuse, physical elder abuse, annuity fraud, consumer fraud class actions, insurance and banking fraud cases. If you think that you have witnessed or are the victim of elder abuse, or financial fraud then contact Evans Law Firm, Inc. at 415-441-8669 for a free and confidential consultation, or email us at info@evanslaw.com
