Quantcast
Channel: National Association to Stop Guardian Abuse
Viewing all 11937 articles
Browse latest View live

Elderly Paso Robles lottery winner is the center of a legal battle concerning his welfare and fortune

0
0

Court case includes allegations of neglect and isolation from friends and family


–Charles Hairston bought a winning lottery at One Stop gas station at 703 Spring Street in Paso Robles in 2011 that was worth $78 million. According to reports and court records, Hairston was generous with his winnings including paying off his nephew, Eddie Hairston’s, mortgage and gifting his caretaker a $819,000 home and a Porsche. In a written declaration to San Luis Obispo Superior Court, Ronald Chaisson, an officer of Rabobank in charge of Hairston’s trust, Hairston “made regular gifts to as many as 15 people per year since 2011.”

Written statements from friends, family and a caretaker document allegations of neglect and isolation from friends and family, distrust and fractured relationships, which led to Eddie Hairston filing for a conservatorship for 88-year old Hairston, his medical care and finances. The court case was filed in November.

Eddie Hairston and friends of the elder Hairston are blaming an unlicensed caregiver, who has had power of attorney over the millionaire’s medical care and finances since 2015. The caretaker, Tiffany Borba and others, claim Eddie Hairston and friends were cut out of Hairston’s life for attempting to exploit his wealth.

Court reports say Hairston enlisted Borba as his caretaker in 2012. In written declarations to the court, friends of Hairston report incidents over the following years in which Hairston’s prescriptions were not filled, his home would be dirty, there would be no food in the house and calls to Borba from them would not be answered.

In a written declaration, a former neighbor, Melynda Weide, said in spring 2014, Weide and her husband heard Hairston calling for help from inside his home. The doors were locked, Weide said her husband broke a window to get to Hairston, who had been laying on the floor all night. Another friend, Janice Watson, reported similar situations during the same time period.

Legal records showed that Hairston gave Borba a $819,000 home in Paso Robles in March of 2015, also purchasing a new home for himself for $409,000. Watson’s husband, Lonnie, provided a written declaration that Hairston bought Borba a Porsche Cayman in 2016. Lonnie Watson’s declaration also included photos of several other vehicles outside Borba’s home.

In December 2015, documents showed that Hairston signed over power of attorney for both his finances and medical care to Borba. Up until that time, Eddie Hairston had the power of attorney. According to Borba’s written declaration, Hairston gave numerous cash gifts to Eddie and his wife that exceeded a half million dollars. The financial gifts included travel expenses to visit from Colorado. Borba’s declaration said the visits often ended in arguments and the final visit in November 2015 ending with “Eddie’s wife losing control, screaming at Charles.” Shortly after that incident Hairston changed his power of attorney from Eddie to Borba.

Attorney Paul Clark, who helped Hairston set up the trust for his lottery winnings, said, “Mr. Hairston expressed suspicion towards Eddie and his wife regarding their motivations.” Chaisson also claimed that a gate and security cameras installed at Hairston’s home were because of Hairston’s distrust of his nephew.

In her declaration, Borba stated that she’s arranged for his home care on a clinical level. That care plan includes care by licensed vocational nurses (LVN) and certified nursing assistants (CNA) who provide support and care 24 hours a day. “There is nothing Mr. Hairston lacks for in his care,” Rosalyn Myers, a private LVN who works with Hairston, said in her written declaration. Borba also denied allegations that she mistreated Hairston. William Dwyer, who claims to be a friend of Hairston since 1990 stated that he’s never been denied access to Hairston or seen Borba mistreat him. Kevin Wright, another of Hairston’s nephews, filed a written declaration in support of Borba, claiming that he’d never been prevented from visiting his uncle and accusing Eddie of going behind the Hairston family’s back by pursuing the conservatorship.

Eddie Hairston’s attorney, Glenn Lewis, argues in a court filing that the individuals supporting Borba’s claims either received gifts from Hairston or are working for Borba, who has the power over Hairston’s finances. Lewis wrote that “Charles Hairston is not speaking on his own behalf. His declaration is noticeably absent.”

In a recent conversation, Lewis told the Paso Robles Daily News that San Luis Obispo County Adult Protective Services had been involved in the case, but Lewis was not sure about the agencies current involvement. Lewis said a conservatorship is a “toss up, it depends on what the court-appointed attorney recommends.” The court-appointed attorney John Ronca to represent Hairston. Ronca has not yet returned a phone call from the Paso Robles Daily News. Lewis expects the case to continue for several months.

The 88-year old Hairston is bedridden but alert according to some reports. However, a report by Melanie Phillips, the court-appointed probate investigator states that Hairston believes it to be the year 1990 and was unable to hold a coherent conversation.

According to Eddie Hairston’s written declaration, he is Hairston’s biological son, claiming that Hairston told him this. Declarations from friends, as well as the woman who sold Hairston the winning ticket in 2011, stated that Hairston mentioned that Eddie was his son. In his declaration, Eddie said he attempted to have a private investigator test his DNA to confirm the paternity, but the investigator turned out to be a scam artist.

Full Article & Source:
Elderly Paso Robles lottery winner is the center of a legal battle concerning his welfare and fortune

Steve Marshall: There are ways to help protect elderly from scammers

0
0
Many of our parents and grandparents, and those in the older generation of Alabamians, have worked hard to make good lives, take care of their families and build our communities. They deserve security and respect, but unfortunately, they may become targets of fraud, exploitation or abuse. The best way we can protect them is through preventive education and vigilance to stop those who would take advantage of our senior citizens.

The same general advice that applies to everyone in avoiding scams applies to the elderly, though they may be subject to particular fraud such as someone pretending to be a grandchild in trouble and in urgent need of money. Other common tricks are impersonating law enforcement, court officials or the IRS and demanding the immediate payment of fines. They use deceptive caller IDs to look like real officials and employ threatening high-pressure tactics designed to make the victim panic and act in haste. A common thread that should send a red warning light is that they ask for the money to be paid by gift cards or pre-paid money cards.

Lottery scams are common where a letter tells recipients that they are winners and victims are directed to wire money to cover the fees. Sometimes consumers are asked to send financial account numbers under the deception that the information will be used to deposit winnings into their accounts.

Other scams targeting seniors use Medicare, trying to bill for services or devices that were never received. Be wary anytime you or your loved ones are asked to provide personal information such as bank or credit card accounts, and Medicare or Social Security numbers.

As a general rule, never give personal information unless you have initiated contact with the other person or verified their validity. It is always best to shred receipts. Closely monitor your accounts for any unauthorized activity.

Many organizations provide advocacy and useful information for senior citizens, as well as general consumer advice. Some organizations that may be helpful include:

l The National Council on Aging and your local councils on aging. The national website is www.ncoa.org. You may find local organizations through telephone directory service or through the Alabama Department of Senior Services.

l Alabama Department of Senior Services. The website is alabamaageline.gov and its toll-free line is 1-800-AGE-LINE, or 1-800-243-5463.

l Alabama Securities Commission. Its website is asc.state.al.us and its toll-free line is 1-800-222-1253.

l Alabama Department of Human Resources. Its main website is dhr.state.al.us. To reach its Adult Protective Services page, click on Services and then click on Adult Protective Services. The state office’s phone number is 1-334- 242-1310, and each county has a local Department of Human Resources office.

l The Alabama Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is responsible for investigating and prosecuting allegations of abuse, neglect and the financial exploitation of residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Those allegations can be submitted via the Unit’s email address. MFCU@ago.state.al.us. The phone number for the Attorney General’s office is 334-242-7300.

l Federal Trade Commission. Its website is ftc.gov and its phone number is 202-326-2222.

l The FBI has a page on its website about common consumer frauds and how to avoid being victimized. That page is fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-fraud-schemes/telemarketing-fraud.

l Alabama Attorney General’s Office, Consumer Interest Division. The main website is ago.alabama.gov and you may click on one of the tabs across the top marked Consumer. The toll-free consumer line is 1-800-392-5658.

Have a talk with your senior friends and loved ones about scams and tell them it’s ok to say no the next time they receive a questionable solicitation.

Steve Marshall is the Alabama Attorney General.

Full Article & Source: 
Steve Marshall: There are ways to help protect elderly from scammers

Woman Accused of Abandoning Disabled Husband Who Died

0
0
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma woman is accused of abandoning her diabetic and nearly blind husband, leaving him to die and his body to lay undiscovered for months.

The woman was arrested in Sayre last week. Court records don't show that formal charges have been filed.

Payne County Sheriff's Investigator Rockford Brown told the Stillwater NewsPress that the man's body showed no obvious sign of foul play and that an autopsy will determine if he died due to neglect. Two dogs were also found dead in the home.

Brown says the man was diabetic, blind and unable to get food or water that was not inside the home. He has sent the prosecutor complaints of caretaker neglect, financial exploitation and animal cruelty.

Sayre is about 130 miles (210 kilometers) west of Oklahoma City.

Full Article & Source:
Woman Accused of Abandoning Disabled Husband Who Died

Financial exploitation costing elderly $3 billion each year

0
0
With the family together this holiday, it may be a good time to review your parents finances looking for signs of fraud and exploitation. Sylvia Miller told us about a neighbor who seemed so nice taking her to appointments but ended up cleaning out her bank account. "I learned a very good lesson," said Miller.

For others it's an even harder lesson. "The oldest victim we had was in their late 80's taken for about $100,000," explains Lt. Mike Yarbrough with Jefferson County Special Investigations.

Financial exploitation of someone over sixty is a felony in Alabama. Yarbrough says the culprits are family members, caretakers, financial advisers, even attorneys. He says the scammers come across as so nice and helpful running errands and taking unsuspecting seniors to appointments.

"Unfortuantely there is temptation anytime money is around," warns Alabama Securities Commission Director Joseph Borg. With our population aging, it's the elderly who have most often amassed wealth making them prime targets. "That's where the money is; that's where crooks are going."

And if a senior has diminished capacity with dementia or Alzheimer's, these thefts often go undetected. The Alabama Securities Commission is focusing more on financial abuse of seniors. Stock brokers and financial planners are now required to report suspected exploitation.

To learn more call:
1-800-222-1253
http://www.asc.alabama.gov/

Full Article & Source:
Financial exploitation costing elderly $3 billion each year

New state programs will provide options for aging seniors

0
0
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday announced the launch of a new website called PA Link to Community Care to help connect older Pennsylvanians with community services and support.

“Everyone deserves the right to age at home if they choose to,” said Wolf in a prepared statement.

“The initiatives my administration has been putting together to help seniors stay in their homes offer options to make a smart decision about services. No one wants a cookie-cutter offering of where they should live or what their health care should look like.”

The website, http://carelink.pa.gov, connects users with more than 350 in-home service providers, which appear on a searchable directory offering personal care, assistance with activities of daily living, companionship services, respite care and rehabilitation services.

Also, residents of Beaver County and 13 other southwestern Pennsylvania counties may be eligible to enroll in a new managed-care program for seniors, those with long-term disabilities and others starting in January.

The state’s Community HealthChoices program will begin a three-phase roll out, being fully implemented by 2020. It will serve hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania residents.

“Both PA Link to Community Care and the soon-to-be-launched Community HealthChoices present community options to help Pennsylvania’s seniors choose the best care for themselves or their loved ones,” Wolf said.

Those who are eligible for Community HealthChoices are at least 21 years old, dual enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid programs, or receiving long-term services and support through various waiver programs, receiving care in a nursing home paid by Medicaid, or an Act 150 participant who’s dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. CHC will replace many of the state’s current waiver programs for people with long-term service needs.

Full Article & Source:
New state programs will provide options for aging seniors

Families of elder abuse victims speak out, wield new power at Minnesota State Capitol

0
0
Elder Voice members visited the Capitol on Friday to meet with Gov. Dayton’s administration about abuse in senior care homes.

They are members of a group that no one would want to join. But they are growing in numbers and political influence.

They are the daughters, sons, spouses and other relatives of vulnerable adults who have been physically or emotionally abused at senior care facilities across Minnesota.

In recent weeks this coalition, known as Elder Voice Family Advocates, has emerged from obscurity to play a central role in early efforts by the administration of Gov. Mark Dayton to reform Minnesota’s troubled system for responding to violent crimes and other forms of abuse in senior homes.

Over the past year, its members have blanketed Minnesota legislators with letters, e-mails, phone calls and testimonials highlighting their stories of anguish, including incidents in which loved ones have died, been maimed or traumatized as a result of maltreatment. Last spring, as lawmakers considered budget increases to keep pace with escalating complaints of maltreatment, members of Elder Voice made repeated trips to the State Capitol to describe crimes that were going uninvestigated and unresolved.

Their grass-roots efforts gained new urgency after the publication last month of a five-part Star Tribune series chronicling breakdowns in the state’s handling of elder abuse investigations. The report prompted a chorus of legislators to demand reforms, and Dayton this week called for a special work group to quickly produce recommendations for the 2018 Legislature. Elder Voice was chosen to help lead the work group — a remarkable feat for a volunteer-driven organization that still funds its activities by passing a hat at meetings.

“We feel the gentle hands of our loved ones pushing us forward,” said Jean Peters, one of a half-dozen Elder Voice members who met with Dayton’s top staff on Friday. “Our job is to channel the anger and the sadness that many of us still feel into positive change for vulnerable seniors across this state.”

Bright orange socks

Elder Voice’s increasingly political role has come as something of a surprise to the group’s founders.
The idea for the group came out of a meeting nearly two years ago between Suzanne Scheller, an attorney from Champlin, and Peters, at a forum on elder justice. At the time, Peters had just discovered that her 85-year-old mother had been emotionally abused and ridiculed by a nurse’s aide at an assisted-living facility in Edina.

Over coffee, the two discussed their shared frustration at how hard it is for relatives to get even basic details of abuse incidents from state investigators or the facilities where the abuse took place. They discussed forming a group — the only one of its kind in Minnesota — focused on providing support to family members of abuse victims and improving quality of care at senior homes.

Within weeks, however, Peters and Scheller found themselves entangled in a policy debate over the use of hidden cameras in senior homes. Peters and her sister, Kay Bromelkamp, had used a miniature camera to detect the abuse of their mother; Scheller strongly believed that such devices could deter abuse. When legislation was introduced in 2016 that would enshrine the rights of Minnesota families to use electronic surveillance, Peters and Scheller rallied other relatives to testify in support.

As word of Elder Voice spread, people began traveling from as far away as Bemidji and Red Wing to attend the group’s quarterly meetings in Champlin and Minneapolis. Others called in from Iowa, Wisconsin and even Ontario. What began as a support group small enough to fit in Peters’ Minneapolis living room soon had to hold its meetings in Twin Cities community centers.

Before long, members of the group who only recently had been strangers found themselves traipsing to the State Capitol to testify and attend hearings together, often in distinctive orange clothing to match the group’s tangerine-colored logo.

As a further show of solidarity, the group’s leaders have taken to wearing orange socks emblazoned with the figure of a woman flexing her biceps and the words “Give ’em hell.”

As a result of the group’s outreach, lawmakers last spring directed the Office of the Legislative Auditor to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the state Health Department’s process for investigating maltreatment complaints. That review will be completed in January.

“The issue resonates and it resonates very quickly,” said Scheller, the elder abuse attorney. “Everyone knows someone in their family affected by elder abuse and neglect.”

Left in the dark

Robin Roberts, a real estate agent who lives in New London, Minn., is among the group’s newest members.

Like many in Elder Voice, she came to the group in a state of despair — but determined. In late October, Roberts was called into a meeting and told matter-of-factly that her 81-year-old mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, had been a victim of “inappropriate sexual touching” by a male resident at her assisted-living facility. She was told that the incident had been reported to the Minnesota Department of Health, which investigates abuse. However, when Roberts asked for more information, she was told that all details would remain confidential until the state completed its investigation.

“At first, when you learn that something this horrific has happened to your mother, you feel helpless and alone,” Roberts said. “You start reaching out for anything — anything, anything that will effect change, because the laws as they are written now are stacked against the families.”

The group’s legislative agenda for 2018 is decidedly ambitious. It includes changes to the criminal code that would enhance penalties against abusers of vulnerable adults; changes to state law that would grant victims’ families access to abuse investigation reports; the creation of a separate licensing system for assisted-living facilities; and the establishment of minimum staffing ratios in senior care facilities, among other priorities.

Elder Voice is also among a handful of consumer-oriented groups, including Minnesota AARP and the Minnesota Elder Justice Center, that are part of Dayton’s new elder-abuse task force. They have until late January, before the 2018 Legislature convenes, to develop recommendations designed to improve the health and safety of 85,000 Minnesotans who live in senior care facilities.

“We know this is going to be a long-haul effort,” said Elder Voice president Kristine Sundberg. “But we’re tenacious and we’re not going away.”

Full Article & Source:
Families of elder abuse victims speak out, wield new power at Minnesota State Capitol

Woman who bilked elderly man out of millions is sentenced

0
0

CHICAGO (AP) — A woman who pleaded guilty to bilking an elderly suburban Chicago man out of more than $4 million over six years has been sentenced to five years in federal prison.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Corrine Dziesiuta (zee-SEW’-tah) was sentenced on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin. She pleaded guilty in August to federal fraud charges.

Prosecutors have said the 39-year-old Dziesiuta persuaded the widower who is now 88 years old to wire funds from his U.S. bank account to banks in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. She told him he’d won millions of dollars in prize money but needed to pay insurance, taxes and fees.

She was arrested after making arrangements to fly him to New York so he could deliver a check for more than $3.7 million.

Full Article & Source:
Woman who bilked elderly man out of millions is sentenced

Sheriff: Pair stole thousands from developmentally disabled man in Oregon City area

0
0
Jack Allen Dunn and Rosemarie Hildegard Henley
OREGON CITY, OR (KPTV) - A man and woman are accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a developmentally disabled man they were supposed to be watching over in the Oregon City area, according to deputies.

Jack Allen Dunn, 43, and Rosemarie Hildegard Henley, 49, both of Redland, were arrested Nov. 20 on charges including criminal mistreatment and theft.

At the prompting of an attorney for the family trust of the 73-year-old victim, detectives began an investigation into financial irregularities relating to the suspects’ handling of the man’s income.

Adult Protective Services was also involved Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office investigation.

The 73-year-old man lives on a farm on Potter Road in the Oregon City area and he granted Dunn and Henley power of attorney to assume control of his finances, which included disability payments and social security benefits, in mid-2015.

Investigators said the suspects also began tending to the farm animals on the man’s 40-acre property.
Detectives determined Dunn and Henley spent tens of thousands of dollars of the man’s money on themselves.

Both suspects were booked into the Clackamas County Jail on charges of criminal mistreatment and theft. Dunn faces an additional charge of possession of an unlawful silencer.

Before Dunn and Henley were granted power of attorney, the man’s sister-in-law had been managing his finances since 2012.

In October 2016, the Clackamas County Circuit Court named a new limited guardian and conservator for the man. A court-appointed advocate has also been assigned to help maintain his independence.

Full Article & Source:
Sheriff: Pair stole thousands from developmentally disabled man in Oregon City area

Woman gets 5 years for bilking elderly Palatine man out of $4 million

0
0
A woman has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for bilking an elderly northwest suburban man out of more than $4 million.

Corinne Dziesiuta, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in August, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Dziesiuta, who is originally from New Jersey, was working for a call center in Costa Rica when she made several phone calls and sent letters to the victim, a Palatine resident, prosecutors said. The victim was told that he won millions of dollars in a sweepstake, but had to pay various fees and taxes in order to collect.

Dziesiuta and her accomplices tricked and bullied the man into transferring large amounts of money to accounts they controlled, prosecutors said. He made 37 payments ranging from $23,751 to $210,000.

She perpetuated the scheme for more than six years, causing the victim to lose more than $4.1 million, prosecutors said.

In 2016, the victim began cooperating with law enforcement, who directed him to inform Dziesiuta, who was using the name “Lisa Conti,” that he would only provide additional funds in person, prosecutors said.

Dziesiuta agreed to travel to New York to meet him, and was arrested when she arrived at LaGuardia Airport in New York City.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin sentenced Dziesiuta to 60 months in prison on Tuesday, according to the statement.

Full Article & Source:
Woman gets 5 years for bilking elderly Palatine man out of $4 million

Inside a judge’s rehab: Unpaid work at Ada's Coca-Cola plant

0
0
Retired Oklahoma Judge Thomas Landrith is hailed as a hero of criminal justice reform.

He started the first rural drug court in the nation and has reaped awards for sending defendants to treatment rather than prison. Most judges in the state model their drug courts after his.

But Landrith also is involved in a more sinister byproduct of criminal justice reform.

Nearly a decade ago, Landrith started his own rehab work camp where defendants must work full time for free at a local Coca-Cola bottling plant and other companies, under threat of prison if they don’t comply. They are required to say they’re unemployed and turn over their food stamps to the program, which state regulators say is fraud. And on their days off, some worked for free mowing Landrith’s lawn and doing yard work around his property.

“It’s a joke, that’s all it is,” said Justin Manion, who was sent to Southern Oklahoma Addiction Recovery– also known as SOAR – by a judge this year. “It’s a sh***y place.”

It’s the latest discovery in an ongoing investigation by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting into rehab programs across the country that promise defendants freedom from addiction but instead turn them into indentured servants for private industry.

Coca-Cola’s guidelines for its independent bottling plants prohibit forced labor. In response to Reveal’s reporting, the Ada Coca-Cola Bottling Co. said it would suspend its use of SOAR, saying in a statement that it takes “the concerns that have been raised seriously.”

“We have participated in the SOAR program because of the good we have seen it can do for people in our community and are hopeful we can work with SOAR to revise the terms of the program so that we can resume participation in the future,” the statement said.

The involvement of one of Oklahoma’s most celebrated judges exposes just how pervasive this type of rehab model has become, implicating major corporationspowerful politicians and even those whose job is to uphold the law. And it lays bare a litany of ethical and legal problems that can arise in the process, even in programs started with the best intentions.

Many defendants sent to SOAR have not yet been convicted of crimes, making their forced labor a potential violation of the 13th Amendment ban on slavery and involuntary servitude, according to legal experts.

State ethics rules say a judge should not serve as an officer of an organization whose proceedings might come before him or her. Landrith currently is an unpaid SOAR board member– a position he’s held since 2014 – and has sent at least nine defendants from his drug court to SOAR since 2010, records from the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services show.

Landrith retired from the bench in 2014 but continues to work as the drug court judge in Pontotoc County as an unpaid volunteer. He said he tries to avoid sending men to his program, but doesn’t consider it a violation of the rules.

The rules still apply to retired judges, said Eric Mitts, director of the Oklahoma Council on Judicial Complaints.

“In general, the judge should stay away from accepting a position that might create a conflict of interest,” he said.

‘Labor conquers all’


Landrith started SOAR in 2008 as his drug court was grappling with a shortage of affordable treatment programs. The Pontotoc County jail was so overcrowded that when Landrith meted out punishment for dirty drug tests, some defendants ended up sleeping outside. His rehab program would cost defendants and taxpayers nothing. All those in the program had to do was work.

“Labor conquers all,” Landrith said. “Some of those people have never worked a day in their life.”

Today, SOAR houses about 55 men and women who work at a Coca-Cola bottling plant, a car wash owned by a board member, a roofing company, local motels and a Leachco factory that makes pregnancy pillows sold at Babies R Us, Nordstrom and Bed Bath & Beyond.

While women in the program get to keep some of their pay, men get nothing. The companies pay SOAR for all the labor and don’t have to pay for workers’ taxes or workers’ compensation insurance, according to the rehab program.

“Here at Ada Coca-Cola, we hire SOAR men because they’re dependable, reliable and they save us money,” a company representative said in a 2015 promotional video.

Kevin Lowe, the hiring manager at Ultimate Carwashes said the company’s priority is helping the men. Putting them to work is the only way most are able to afford treatment, he said.

“If that’s against the law, then shame on the law,” Lowe said. “I see men get their lives back and become fathers and husbands and contributing members of society again.”

In addition to working, the men are required to attend a group counseling session once a week and church services twice a week. If they complete the six-month program without breaking any rules, they’re eligible for a $500 stipend.

Reveal spoke with more than a dozen men who attended the SOAR program. All but one said the program was more concerned with work than their recovery. Cody Evans called it “the worst experience of my life.” Dustin Barnes called the people who run SOAR “crooks.”

Dustin Barnes was sent to SOAR in 2015. While there, Barnes said he was ordered to do yard work for Judge Thomas Landrith, including cleaning brush from his creek bed and mowing his lawn.
Dustin Barnes was sent to SOAR in 2015. While there, Barnes said he was ordered to do yard work for Judge Thomas Landrith, including cleaning brush from his creek bed and mowing his lawn. (Credit: Shane Bevel for Reveal)

“‘If you can’t work, your ass should not be here.’ They tell you that when you first get there,” said Lee Purdy, who was court-ordered to SOAR and worked at Leachco. “This ain’t the place for you if you can’t work.”

If men got hurt or were too sick to work, the program often kicked them out, they said. Some worked despite being injured.

“It made me mad and feel like I really wasn’t worth nothing,” said Lucas Allen, one of the men Landrith sent to SOAR in 2015. He said he was forced to work with an injured hand.  “It’s like they didn’t care what happened to me.”

“It’s the best way to re-establish some kind of self-worth in those individuals,” said board President Duane Murray. “There’s nothing better, more therapeutic than getting up and doing what everybody else does on a regularly scheduled basis.”

Landrith told Reveal that he expects SOAR to get sued for its work practices, as two other Oklahoma rehabs have recently. If that happens, he said, most defendants going to work-based programs will probably end up going to prison.

“We started the SOAR program because there was no place to send anybody. It’s still that way,” he said. “I don’t know what everybody wants the endgame to be.”

Other programs that resemble SOAR pay their participants for their labor. And most don’t have their participants perform free yard work for a judge.

“We were cleaning brush in his creek bed behind his house,” said Barnes, whom a judge sent to SOAR in 2015. “Cleaning his gutters. Mowing his lawn. Doing hedges. He was there hanging out, like he was one of the guys.”

Landrith said he donated a lawnmower and their pay to SOAR.

Abusing the food stamp program

Judge Landrith started SOAR in 2008 as his drug court was grappling with a shortage of affordable treatment programs.
Judge Landrith started SOAR in 2008 as his drug court was grappling with a shortage of affordable treatment programs. (Credit: Shane Bevel for Reveal)

Cody Theriac thought he’d caught a break when a drug court judge in Tulsa decided to give him another chance at rehab instead of sending him to prison.

But when Theriac arrived at SOAR, his first stop wasn’t to a drug and alcohol counselor. It was to the local food stamp office in Ada.

Theriac never had applied for food stamps before. As he sat in the drab government office, a SOAR employee coached him on exactly what to say.

He had to say he was unemployed, he remembered, even though a few days later he would be working full time at Leachco. He should say he was in a rehab. And once he got his benefit card, he had to turn it over to SOAR.

“Isn’t this fraud?” Theriac remembers asking SOAR administrators at the time. “I kept getting the same answers: ‘This is no big deal, this is how it’s done.’ The whole time I thought, if I don’t do what they said, I would go to prison.”

So Theriac did it. He left the Department of Human Services office with a food stamp card that day.

SOAR confiscated Theriac’s benefit card, locking it in a safe with those of other participants. Every few weeks, SOAR administrators would take a handful of men in the program to the local Walmart, where they were forced to use their cards to buy food for the entire rehab, they said.

A dozen other SOAR participants confirmed that they also were told what to say to qualify for a benefit card and then ordered to relinquish it to SOAR.

“It is against the law,” said Debra Martin, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. “The people who this happened to need to call us or email us and let us know.”

Some drug and alcohol rehab centers are allowed to apply for special food stamps for clients and legally purchase food on their behalf. But SOAR is not one of these approved programs and never has applied for these special benefit cards, according to the department.

“Any incorrect information on the application would be a crime in and of itself,” said Joe Glover, a department agent who investigates food stamp fraud. “The card is only for the individual. It’s not for a group.”

Murray, SOAR’s board president, called the participants of SOAR “volunteers, not employees,” saying they weren’t technically employed anywhere. He said the rehab had worked out an arrangement with the local Department of Human Services office when it came to food stamps.
Martin said the department is unaware of any such deal.

A questionable rehab model


Landrith got the idea for SOAR from Raymond Jones, a convicted meth dealer who once came through his court.

After Landrith ordered Jones to complete a similar work-based rehab program nearly 20 years ago, Jones told Landrith that he had found God and was a changed man – so much so that he decided to start a rehab of his own, called the Drug and Alcohol Recovery Program.

Jones also helped launch Christian Alcoholics & Addicts in Recovery, a rehab that provides labor to chicken processing plants using unpaid workers. As a result of Reveal’s original investigation, participants filed a total of four class-action lawsuits against the two rehabs, alleging human trafficking and fraud. The program is now the subject of two government investigations.

“Raymond is a very smart guy. We thought, ‘Well, if they could do this, why can’t we?’ ” Landrith recalled. “So Raymond and I decided to do one here. He was the person who said, ‘I think we could do this.’ ”

Jones confirmed that he consulted with Landrith on the creation of SOAR but said he is no longer involved.

Like its predecessors, SOAR has become indispensable to courts looking for alternatives to prison. At least 15 drug courts from across Oklahoma have sent defendants to SOAR since 2010, records show.

Some judges send defendants to the program to get them away from bad influences or into stable housing. But others have used the program instead of certified treatment, a potential violation of state law.

The Oklahoma Drug Court Act requires drug courts to send defendants for treatment at certified facilities with trained counselors and regular inspections. SOAR is uncertified and says the best cure for addiction is hard work.

Neither the courts nor the program have ever measured its success.

“I’ve never worked that much in my life. I was exhausted every day,” said Jesse James Ward, who worked for a roofing company and completed SOAR in 2015.

Not long after leaving the program, he was charged with drug possession.

Full Article & Source:
Inside a judge’s rehab: Unpaid work at Ada's Coca-Cola plant

Local nursing home cited for numerous violations, no longer accepting patients

0
0
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A local nursing home will no longer be accepting new admissions after the state discovered several violations.

According to Tennessee Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner, a recent inspection discovered 11 violations at Ashton Place Health and Rehabilitation Center with regards to administration, performance improvement, physician services, nursing services, medical records, food and dietetic services and social work services.

Read the full report 

The results were completed on November 22 and the facility was notified they would not be allowed to admit new patients.

In addition, the state has fined the nursing home $50,000 and ordered a monitor to the facility.

Ashton Place Health and Rehabilitation Center has the right to a hearing before the state.

WREG reported on the Walnut Grove nursing home back in September after the Memphis Police Department confirmed they had launched an elder abuse investigation connected to the center.

According to reports, an elderly resident was rushed to the hospital after he started running a high fever. Hospital workers told investigators and a social worker they discovered five open wounds to different parts of his body and a bruise to his stomach during treatment. He also had severe dry skin that was "flaking off his body."

But that wasn't all they found.

The patient had previous health problems that led to his left foot and right leg being amputated. They found maggots inside the wound, according to police. As nurses were treating the individual, they discovered the staples had not been removed from his right leg and the bandages were labeled "October 7."

Ambulance service employees also said they had found the man in feces.

The charge nurse at the care center told police the patient had refused care.  (Click to Continue)

Full Article & Source:
Local nursing home cited for numerous violations, no longer accepting patients

Steve Miller: More Damning Evidence Uncovered Against Private Guardian Jared E. Shafer

0
0
In August, 2009, private guardian Jared Shafer and his CPAs, Bruce Garnett and Shawn King, avoided criminal charges by secretly agreeing to pay back money Shafer converted from the accounts of his Clark County Family Court assigned "wards" into an immense Utah based Ponzi Scheme.
Even though Shafer and his CPAs were caught red handed by the US Security and Exchange Commission, they were not criminally charged and were allowed to continue handling the assets of wealthy wards of the court if they returned the money. But by that time, most of the bilked wards had died, and their heirs were never informed of the disposition of their loved one’s assets after required financial reports were allowed to go unfiled by the guardian because Family Court Judges William Voy, Charles Hoskin, and Hearing Master Jon Norheim regularly allowed the omission of financial reports when it involved Jared Shafer.
Interestingly, the public had no right to know this information based on the "Confidentiality" clause in the following Settlement Agreement obtained exclusively by INSIDE VEGAS. (The source of this information is protected under NRS 49.275, the Nevada Reporter's Shield Law.)
FULL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT signed by Shafer:
S.E.C. PRESS RELEASE:
BACKGROUND:
MORE INFORMATION:
http://www.stevemiller4lasvegas.com/ShaferFinancialRecords2.html

Source:
More Damning Evidence Uncovered Against Private Guardian Jared E. Shafer

Steve Miller: Clark Co. Family Court Hearing Master Jon Norheim Dissected In "The Guardians" Documentary Film

0
0
LAS VEGAS - An emotion charged ninety-four minute documentary film about guardianship abuse in Las Vegas is about to hit the big screen and national TV networks.
 
The Guardians, produced by Toronto based film makers J.B. Sugar and Billie Mintz, was previewed last Thursday at the Branden Theater at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas to an audience of reporters, victims of local for-hire guardians Jared E. Shafer and April Parks, and federal law enforcement officials from outside Nevada.
 
Following the showing, over one hundred invited guests were able to throw questions at the producers, and many of those questions revolved around scenes in the film showing appointed Clark County Family Court Hearing Master Jon Norheim apparently doing favors in open court for veteran private guardian Jared Shafer.
 
One of the scenes featuring Norheim shows Shafer giving the Hearing Master orders from the gallery to close the court after an attorney asked the whereabouts of over $500,000 missing from the account of one of Shafer's court appointed "wards."
 
(Court Video depicted in "The Guardians" showing Norheim complying to Shafer's order to throw the public out of the court after questions were raised about missing $500,000: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee8XnR56gow)
 
The Guardians also exposes Jon Norheim's past association with convicted organized crime associate Rick Rizzolo, and describes Norheim as once being Rizzolo's mob lawyer. Other scenes feature Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson.
 
Audience members described the film as "riveting" and a "cliff hanger" because it details several horrendous cases of alleged guardianship fraud and abuse, mainly by Jared Shafer, that were court approved by Hearing Master Norheim, or Family Court Judges Charles Hoskin or William Voy, cases that have been brought to the attention of federal law enforcement authorities and are currently under investigation. The film leaves viewers wondering if Shafer, Norheim, or others will be charged with crimes.
 
At the present time, according to the documentary, only Shafer's associates, private guardians April Parks and Patience Bristol, have been charged or convicted of fleecing wards of the court. Bristol is serving a 5 to 8 year sentence, and Parks is awaiting sentencing.
 
The Guardians is expected to be released in theaters and national TV sometime in early 2018.

Source:
Clark Co. Family Court Hearing Master Jon Norheim
Dissected In "The Guardians" Documentary Film

Limestone prisoner charged with bribery

0
0
Jerry Long
A Limestone County Jail prisoner has been charged with bribing a witness for calling a crime victim in jail and trying to pay her to drop charges, records show.

Limestone County Deputy Caleb Durden obtained a warrant Dec. 7 charging Jerry Dewayne Long, 39, of 17265 Blackburn Road, Athens, according to Limestone County District Court records. Deputy Casey Foxworthy served the warrant.

According to the deputy's incident report, Long is jailed for impersonating a police officer, miscellaneous theft and financial exploitation of an elderly person, the victim being James Long.  While in jail, Jerry has been calling the victim and attempting to get him to drop the charges. He told the victim he still has the money he took from him and is going to pay him back, according to Durden's report. The calls to the victim occurred between Nov. 13 and Dec. 6, records show.

The victim told the deputy he felt harassed and he asked Jerry on multiple occasions not to contact him anymore. Although the victim blocked Jerry from calling his telephone, Jerry continues to call the victim by using other inmate's calling cards, according to the report.

Jerry remains in the Limestone County Jail with bail set at $10,000. His release has not been set, however.

Full Article & Source: 
Limestone prisoner charged with bribery

Chicago-area woman charged in financial exploitation case

0
0
AURORA, Ill. (AP) — A 41-year-old suburban Chicago woman has been charged with stealing money from a resident of a long-term care facility while working for a state contractor.

A Thursday statement from the Kane County state’s attorney’s office says Mary E. Pfingston, of Joliet, faces a multi-count indictment that includes charges of financial exploitation of the elderly and public contractor misconduct.

Pfingston worked for Senior Services Associates. It was contracted with the state through the Illinois Department on Aging. The indictment alleges Pfingston stole thousands of dollars from the care-facility resident in 2015.

Pfingston was arrested Wednesday. An Illinois State Police statement says that she also had a warrant for failure to appear in a Will County case and remained in custody on Thursday. The official statements don’t name an attorney for Pfingston.

Full Article & Source:
Chicago-area woman charged in financial exploitation case

Disgraced Las Vegas lawyer sentenced to the maximum

0
0
Las Vegas - Disgraced lawyer Robert Graham, who stole millions of dollars from his clients, was sentenced to serve 16 to 40 years in prison.

He was given the maximum sentence on all five counts -- two counts of theft and three counts of exploitation of an older/vulnerable person.

There was a lot of tension inside the courtroom.

The judge made her frustrations heard as Graham and his lawyer tried to explain why the disbarred attorney stole millions from his clients -- among them -- the elderly, orphaned children and people with disabilities.

"You take an oath as an attorney when you became a member of the state bar to protect your clients," said Judge Kerry Earley, Clark County District Court.

Judge Earley did not hold back expressing how she felt about Graham's actions.

"Just tell me Mr. Graham, how can you sleep at night and account for that kind of money?"

The once successful attorney tried to justify stealing $16 million from more than 100 clients, saying his law firm fell into hard times and he did not want to disappoint his employees.

"How do you account for that with this explanation?" Judge Earley asked. "Are you not responsible for it?"

"Absolutely, judge," Graham responded.

"Well you sure wouldn't have known that with what you just told this court Mr. Graham. That rightly almost puts just such a pit in my stomach," Judge Earley said.

Almost a dozen family members spoke up during sentencing.

Victoria Pappalardo is now caring for her three grandchildren after their parents died in a car crash. The family never saw a penny from a life insurance policy.

"We tried to pick up the pieces and make sense of everything," Pappalardo said.

"She trusted the defendant," Joan Albstein said.

The daughter of Albstein is living with physical disabilities and was awarded more than $2 million in a malpractice lawsuit.

They too, never received their money.

"There's no substitution for that money to give her the care that she needs," Albstein said.

The judge went on to read letter from victims who couldn't attend before giving Graham the maximum time behind bars.

"You systematically stole from people who trusted you," Judge Earley said.

In court, Graham's attorney argued his client did not spend Thanksgiving with his family and won't be spending holidays with them for years to come.

Full Article & Source:
Disgraced Las Vegas lawyer sentenced to the maximum

Tonight on T. S. Radio with Marti Oakley: Abolishing Probate #10: Intro into [Constitutionsal] Right to Jury

0
0


5:00 pm PST … 6:00 pm MST … 7:00 pm CST … 8:00 pm EST

Join Marti Oakley, Luanne Fleming and Randal Stone as we host Dr. C. Eric Durand and learn a thing or two about due process and our right to a trial by jury that is prohibited in most states' administrative tribunals, otherwise know as "PROBATE" courts.

BIO: I'm a Who's Who In America Physician and Law Professor, 3+ Doctorates (Psychology, Theology, Law) with Professional Degrees and Board Certifications. Enlisted in the USN-1982; Enrolled in the USArmyROTC in 1989 (Still, technically, a member and on Active Reserve with a J.A.G. and Medical Officer MOS)...Written several books, studied, taught and administered at several Colleges and Universities

Due Process
What are the requirements for meeting due process?
How could these jury's affect guardianship/probate?
In most every state, are administrative tribunal statutes written to prohibit jury trials?

"The trial jurys and grand jurys that are functioning in our courts today are also "citizens grand jurys", they belong to and are comprised of the citizens of this country. While there are provisions of law to form independent jurys, for example in emergency circumstances, there are also some very important lawful thresholds/requirements that attach thereto in order to legitimize those activities, and give them the power of law.

Most of our research has concluded that the petitioning of our currently sitting grand (12 or more) jurys is where the jurisdiction currently resides, and their involvement in the process is primary/requisite to legitimacy, efficiency, and a necessary element to the peace and security of the nation. (in addition to some of the concocted "private form a jury" ideas being basically virtual legal suicide, and a danger to anyone involved---not necessarily beneficial to anyone, and a virtual life sentence behind bars).

LISTEN to the show live or listen to the archive later

NC Ranked Among Top States With Protections Against Elder Abuse

0
0
There's no way to sugar coat it, America is getting older, and consequently, potentially more vulnerable when it comes to personal finances. The number of adults in the U.S. age 65 and over is expected to double by the year 2060, which prompted personal finance site, WalletHub, to analyze which states have the best elder-abuse protections.

Elder abuse stands to affect as many as 5 million senior citizens annually, yet only an estimated four percent of cases are reported, according to WalletHub. When it comes to protecting the interests of the elderly, North Carolina ranks among the top states in the nation, WalletHub found.

"Fortunately, states recognize that elder abuse is a real and growing issue. But sadly, only some are fighting hard enough to stop it," WalletHub said in its study.

WalletHub analyzed elder abuse laws in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, looking at 11 key indicators. When it came to states with the best overall elder-abuse protections, Nevada came in No. 1 in the U.S., with California ranked as the worst at No. 51.

North Carolina was ranked No. 9 overall, but did very well in two specific areas. In its most recent study, 2017's States with the Best Elder-Abuse Protections, WalletHub found that North Carolina was No. 1 when it came to financial elder-abuse laws and its number of certified volunteer ombudsmen. It came in No. 13 for its number of eldercare organizations and services, and No. 18 for its total long-term care ombudsman-program funding.

There's no way to sugar coat it, America is getting older, and consequently, potentially more vulnerable when it comes to personal finances. The number of adults in the U.S. age 65 and over is expected to double by the year 2060, which prompted personal finance site, WalletHub, to analyze which states have the best elder-abuse protections.

Elder abuse stands to affect as many as 5 million senior citizens annually, yet only an estimated four percent of cases are reported, according to WalletHub. When it comes to protecting the interests of the elderly, North Carolina ranks among the top states in the nation, WalletHub found.

"Fortunately, states recognize that elder abuse is a real and growing issue. But sadly, only some are fighting hard enough to stop it," WalletHub said in its study.

WalletHub analyzed elder abuse laws in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, looking at 11 key indicators. When it came to states with the best overall elder-abuse protections, Nevada came in No. 1 in the U.S., with California ranked as the worst at No. 51.

North Carolina was ranked No. 9 overall, but did very well in two specific areas. In its most recent study, 2017's States with the Best Elder-Abuse Protections, WalletHub found that North Carolina was No. 1 when it came to financial elder-abuse laws and its number of certified volunteer ombudsmen. It came in No. 13 for its number of eldercare organizations and services, and No. 18 for its total long-term care ombudsman-program funding.

Full Article & Source:
NC Ranked Among Top States With Protections Against Elder Abuse

If your grandparents are neglected in SC, they won’t be as protected as you think

0
0
South Carolina does the second worst job in the union in protecting its elderly population.

The Palmetto State ranked 50th on WalletHub’s 2017’s States with the Best Elder-Abuse Protections analysis, which included all of the states and the District of Columbia. The survey by the personal finance website was published on Wednesday.

In separate key categories, South Carolina also ranked among the worst. The state ranked 49th for elder-abuse, and gross-neglect and exploitation complaints. It was 48th for how much the state spends on elder-abuse prevention and 41st for the number of eldercare organizations and services.

South Carolina has previously acknowledged its growing number of elderly residents; most notably former Lt. Gov. Glenn McConnell, who warned in 2014 that the state had to prepare for an oncoming “gray tsunami.”

The Palmetto State’s senior population is expected to double by the late 2020s to nearly 2 million people who are 60 years or older.

The Greenville News has reported that the number of allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation at the state’s disabilities agency has continued to increase over the years. Also, the paper reported that of the 929 vulnerable adult cases reported in 2015, no one tracked the outcome of more than half of the cases referred to other agencies.

The Department of Social Services’ director has previously told state lawmakers that protecting the state’s elderly and disable adults has become an “afterthought.”

WalletHub’s analysis found that many states recognize elder abuse is a real and growing issue, but few are “fighting hard enough to stop it.”

Those that came as the Top 5 on the list as the best were Nevada, District of Columbia, Arizona, Massachusetts and Iowa.


Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/news/state/article188301734.html#storylink=cpy
Full Article & Source:
If your grandparents are neglected in SC, they won’t be as protected as you think

Metro Detroit adults under court guardianship put in unlicensed group homes

0
0
WARREN, Mich. (WXYZ) - As part of our year-long investigation into Michigan’s probate courts, the 7 Investigators have uncovered an alarming practice: court appointed guardians putting the people they’re supposed to be caring for into unlicensed group homes. 

While it’s not illegal for certain group homes in Michigan to operate without a license, when you’re dealing with someone who’s considered legally incapacitated, experts say most people in these situations do require care from a licensed facility.

“They took her dignity from her, they took everything from her,” said Peter Klavinger.

Klavinger says his grandmother, 80-year-old Mary Helen Plummer, had lived on her own for years.

But after a family friend told the Oakland County Probate Court that Plummer was having memory loss, court records show a Judge appointed a Southfield attorney as a co-guardian.

Charlene Glover-Hogan is a Public Administrator, a lawyer appointed by Michigan’s Attorney General to handle probate estates after someone dies. 

But several judges in metro Detroit like to appoint Public Administrators as professional guardians for adults who are considered “legally incapacitated.”

“It’s awful,” said Klavinger.

Klavinger says he was outraged when Glover-Hogan moved Plummer into an unlicensed group home in Warren -- a home that was operating illegally as an Adult Foster Care facility.

“It smelled, she didn’t look like her hair was brushed.  She had on the same clothes every day, it was for a week,” said Klavinger.

Desperate, Plummer’s family hired an attorney.

“He called Glover-Hogan, and said did you visit? She said no. He said, well you’re supposed to – and I can name several violations right off the top,” said Klavinger.

In Michigan, a group home must be licensed if the owner receives compensation for providing personal care, supervision, and protection, in addition to room and board to people who are mentally ill or disabled.

Clarisse Carter runs Due Season Residential Services LLC, the unlicensed group home in Warren.  State investigators from the Bureau of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs inspected the home in October and found that Carter was violating the law.

Carter applied for a license 11 months ago, but refused to answer our questions about why she was operating the home before being approved by the state.

The guardian later moved Plummer to a licensed facility, but according to state records, Glover-Hogan still has one ward inside the Warren group home.

“So you have a document that you want to show me indicating that it’s unlicensed,” asked Glover-Hogan.

During an interview Tuesday, 7 Investigator Heather Catallo shared the Special Investigation Record from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, which oversees Adult Foster Care Facilities.  

The report, which is public record, tells Clarisse Carter that she has been providing adult foster care, and says “any person who provides foster care for 24 hours a day, 5 or more days a week, for 2 or more consecutive weeks for compensation without a license is in violation of [Public] Act 218.”

“I don’t have anything indicating that that was the case,” said Glover-Hogan.

Glover-Hogan says based on the level of care required in Plummer’s case, she didn’t think that a licensed home was needed.

“My goal, is make sure they have a roof over their head, they have heat, they have electricity, they have water and they have food,” said Glover-Hogan.  “We all serve as public servants – it’s not an easy job.”

Glover-Hogan said going forward, she will do more research, and she said often when she initially places wards, she does not have access to any of their funds yet, which can make placement extremely difficult.

“I do the best I can with what I have,” said Glover-Hogan.

“An individual that’s incapacitated that needs a higher level of service, the likelihood is that that type of facility would require a license,” said Larry Horvath, the Director of Michigan’s Bureau of Community and Health Systems.  The Bureau supervises the state’s 4200 licensed group homes.

“We would strongly try to encourage the courts and educate the courts on that, to make sure that those guardians and placing agencies are placing them in a proper setting,” said Horvath.

The owner of the group home would not return our phone calls to comment on this story.

After a legal challenge this fall, Mrs. Plummer’s son and cousin are now her guardians, and she is now living at home with relatives.

If you know of a group home that you believe should be licensed, the state wants to hear from you. 

If you prefer to contact the state via mail, please click here.

If you want to see if a certain group home is licensed, please click here.

Full Article & Source:
Metro Detroit adults under court guardianship put in unlicensed group homes
Viewing all 11937 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images