Friday, March 21, 2014

NJ Attorney General Announces Arrests In Major Elder Fraud Case


Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced that a prominent Atlantic County attorney who specializes in elder law and the owner of an in-home senior care company were arrested on charges they conspired to prey on elderly clients and steal their life savings.  The two women allegedly stole over $2 million from at least 10 victims. The company owner’s sister and a former employee also are charged in the investigation by the State Police and the Division of Criminal Justice.

The following two women were arrested yesterday in the ongoing investigation. They are charged by complaint with first-degree money laundering, second-degree conspiracy and second-degree theft by deception for allegedly stealing from the victims, who lived in Atlantic and Cape May counties.

 Barbara Lieberman, 62, of Northfield, the attorney, was arrested at her home on Northwood Court.  Search warrants were executed there and at her law office on New Road in Northfield.  She was lodged in jail with bail set at $300,000.  The state froze approximately $5 million in assets Lieberman holds in various accounts, which it will seek to use for restitution.

·Jan Van Holt, 57, of Linwood, the owner of “A Better Choice,” a company that purportedly offered seniors “custom designed life care and legal financial planning,” was arrested at her home on West Vernon Avenue. She also was lodged in jail with bail set at $300,000.

Investigators previously filed charges of second-degree theft by deception against Van Holt’s sister, Sondra Steen, 58, of Linwood, who lives with her and helped her operate “A Better Choice,” and Susan Hamlett, 55, of Egg Harbor Township, who worked for them as an aid for elderly clients.

The defendants allegedly targeted elderly clients with substantial assets who typically did not have any immediate family, offering them non-medical care and assistance, including financial and legal services.  The defendants allegedly took control of the finances of their victims by forging a power of attorney or obtaining one on false pretenses.  The defendants then added their names to the victims’ bank accounts or transferred the victims’ funds into new accounts they controlled.  Thereafter, the defendants allegedly siphoned away the money to pay their own expenses, including, for Van Holt, two Mercedes cars, a Florida condo, pool supplies and veterinary bills for her pets.  Lieberman allegedly used stolen funds to pay off six-figure credit card bills.  In one case, the defendants allegedly put a reverse mortgage for $195,000 on a 94-year-old woman’s home.  That victim died in a nursing home because she could not afford to live in her home after her assets allegedly were stolen.  Lieberman and Van Holt also executed the wills of some of the victims and allegedly continued to steal from their estates after they died.

“These women allegedly preyed ruthlessly on elderly clients, most of whom were facing the end of life without family and with only their savings to ensure they would be cared for properly,” said Acting Attorney General Hoffman. “We’re supposed to honor our elders, but these women heartlessly exploited them, allegedly stripping them of their life savings and their ability to live out their final days in comfort, peace and dignity. This is an ongoing investigation, and we urge any individuals who suspect that they or their loved ones may have had their assets stolen by these defendants to notify us.”

Full Article & Source:
NJ Attorney General Announces Arrests In Major Elder Fraud Case

17 comments:

Thelma said...

This could well be a commonplace event in facilities all across the country, when government is not protecting its citizens.

Anonymous said...

What a racket. And how long did this go on under the noses of myopic authorities, while public officials vouched for the "alleged" honor and respectability of these lady thieves?

In our area, it's a variation on the same "alleged" scheme: a lady attorney files a guardianship petition, with less than the required seven days notice, in Norfolk Circuit Court. She hand-picks the lady guardian ad litem "for" the hospitalized patient, who just happens to be her best friend. These two lady attorneys then schedule a hearing in front of a judge for whom the GAL ran a political campaign in the past. They show up at 9:00 with no one except the two attorneys and (perhaps) someone from Jewish Family Service of Tidewater. No patient or family members in sight, and most of the five minute "hearing" is spent on the amount of the GAL's fee.

Two, three, four of these cases are stacked on the docket, almost always on Thursday morning.

By 9:30, the rubber stamp session is over, with no input from the patient or any family members.

If anybody complains, too bad, they will need to foot the $5000 or so in legal fees to undo this bogus court order. In the unlikely event that they can scrape together the funds, they will run into an orchestrated campaign of illegal obstruction from this GAL, who will actively interfere with their ability to hire an attorney to undo this fiasco.

In the unlikely event they make it all the way to court, the judge will rake them and their attorney over the coals, for reasons that could only have resulted from improper ex parte contacts in advance of any "hearing."

The next Thursday, rinse and repeat.

StandUp said...

Go NJ AG! This is a great way to start the day!

Anonymous said...

This is the tip of the iceberg!! Lieberman took our Aunt, Helen Hugo, stuck her in Meadowview, kept us from visiting her and took ALL of her property and money!! We have been fighting this for nearly 3 years! Finally, someone listened to us. We got Judge Todd removed from the bench and now Lieberman. There are 2 more players. James Dugan and Thomas Haynes. The're next!

Anonymous said...

Can you believe this?? Barbara Lieberman serves on the Attorney Ethics Committee for Atlantic County!!! Her husband, David Lieberman incidentally has a Real Estate License!! (helps to move the stolen property?). I reported them to the A.G. 2 years ago!! There should be more arrests to follow. Stay tuned!

Brian said...

I hope other AG's are watching!

Anonymous said...

I am busting out with happiness that the AG has caught these thieves and is prosecuting.

At the same time, I wonder why it took so long. It takes quite a while to steal this much money.

NASGA said...

Anonymous2: Please consider joining NASGA!

Anonymous said...

Great maybe he will look at Donald Vanarelli in Westfield, he has all kinds of scams going on. Connections to Elder Mediation, Home Health Agencies etc. cashing in on the disabled and elderly for profit

Kathleen said...

So happy these thieving abusers got caught! Prison is where they belong !

Anonymous said...

More good news RE: Helen Hugo. The A.G. hit the Surrogate's office. Lieberman AND her husband David show up a lot on various Wills and Property sales. They froze her assets but couldn't freeze his so she made the $300k bail. More to come!

Anonymous said...

Met with the A.G today. They are VERY interested in EVERYONE that was part of the pick-up/ Trial/liquidation of assets, etc. Gave them Some new information they didn't have yet. Stay tuned!

jerri said...

keep it coming anon the money trail is there and this represents a base investigation template for other agencies to investigate in other jurisdictions we know the evidence is there just waiting to be discovered i continue to pray for justice

Anonymous said...

Has anyone ever heard anything about david thierman?I really don't want to get into it but I can't help but think that something just isn't right there and I have no idea how to look into things.

Anonymous said...

In Baltimore county , Maryland the judge ,guardian , attorney , nursing home , certain doctors and agencies ,all workrd together to drug my wonderful mother, put her in a locked dementia unit with people who are impaired , let her get hurt by people that do not know what they are doing and then blame her when she tries to protect herself . You would like mother. Brave , clear headed , fair and what they have done to this woman to impair her is a crime against humanity. The names and connections are all there easy . The judge should be in prison with the rest of the cronies . Do to them what they are doing to others . Imprison. Drug to death Take all their houses and all their assets . No pity

Anonymous said...

These criminals are being cought In new jersey , Pennsylvania , getting closer and closer to Baltimore , Yay.

Anonymous said...

yep ... im wondering when they gonna get Donald Vanarelli, he works with the courts to steal elderly from people taking good care of them, and they are competent... he also get the courts to do what ever he wants .. they are all in volved..., i reported Donald Vanarelli myself...