ATLANTIC COUNTY - Four women from Atlantic County allegedly stole millions from elderly victims in South Jersey.
Since 2006, the women allegedly stole over $2 million from at least 10 elderly victims - and of those 10 victims, only one is still alive.
Acting Attorney General, John J. Hoffman held a press conference in Voorhees Thursday morning and explained, "We are supposed to honor our elders - but these women heartlessly exploited them."
Barbara Lieberman, a prominent 62-year-old elder law attorney from Northfield, and Jan Van Holt, a 57-year-old owner of an in-home senior care company from Linwood, were arrested on charges that they conspired to prey on elderly clients and steal their life savings.
Hoffman explained, "These defendants simply bled these victims dry."
Officials say the defendants targeted senior citizens with substantial assets, who typically didn't have any immediate family, and would offer them non-medical care, including financial and legal services.
The women then allegedly took control of their victim's finances by forging a power of attorney. Officials say the accused women added their names to the victims’ bank accounts, or transferred funds into new accounts.
"The amount that the defendants stole is truly shocking. They allegedly stole close to half a million just from this one Margate couple. And Lieberman allegedly stole more than $600,000 from another Margate resident - a woman who was in her 90s," e90'sained Hoffman.
NBC40 talked to a man who identified himself as Van Holt's son, who says his mom is innocent, and blamed Lieberman for his mother's incarceration.
Eddie Van Holt said, "My mom has not stolen any money from them. It's Barbara who has done the wills and stuff. My mom was only paid for her services…She would always choose clients who had no family."
But officials say both women allegedly referred clients to each other, and used the trust gained with their clients to ultimately, steal their life savings…a scheme that had been going on for years.
"What they did was nothing short of evil - even stealing from these victims after they had passed away," said Hoffman.
Van Holt’s sister, 58-year-old Sondra Steen of Linwood, and a former employee 55-year-old Susan Hamlett of Egg Harbor Township, who worked for them as an aid for elderly clients, were also arrested and charged in the case. These two women were charged with second-degree theft by deception.
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Atlantic Co. lawyer, owner of senior care company charged with stealing millions from elderly clients
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