‘It’s an epidemic’ | Elder fraud costs Tennessee seniors millions, advocates say

Police officers recognized for solving Gatlinburg case highlighting broader issue

Police officers recognized for solving Gatlinburg case highlighting broader issue

By Caroline Mueller

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Two Gatlinburg police officers recently received recognition for solving an elder fraud case that highlights a broader issue impacting older adults across East Tennessee, according to advocates who say financial abuse has reached epidemic levels.

Detective Cindy Myers and Officer Josh Cole were honored by the East Tennessee Elder Justice Coalition for their work investigating an online investment scam that targeted an elderly Gatlinburg resident. The victim was contacted through social media and persuaded to invest in what was presented as a legitimate investment opportunity. Over several weeks, the victim was manipulated into providing increasingly large sums of money, including a significant cash payment made during an in-person meeting.

Philip Gentile with the East Tennessee Elder Justice Coalition said the problem has grown significantly.

“It’s an epidemic right now with the growing older population and the scams that they fall victim to,” Gentile said.

The East Tennessee Elder Justice Coalition said many scams start with criminals building trust online before asking for money. Gentile, who is the chair of the coalition, said those schemes can develop over time.

“Generally it’s Facebook or some social media platform like that where the scammer will befriend them and make them earn their confidence and try to make them believe that they are their friend,” Gentile said. “A lot of times the suspects or the scammers will will take weeks or months to to spend time building a relationship with the older adult.”

Gentile said older adults in Tennessee lose millions of dollars each year to financial exploitation. In Knox County, advocates estimate for every reported case of elder abuse, 22 others go unreported.

“It’s hundreds of millions of dollars, but across the state, it’s probably getting close to a billion dollars,” Gentile said.

One of the fastest growing threats involves cryptocurrency ATMs, according to Gentile.

“Older adults are being told to take cash out of their bank and feed that cash into a cryptocurrency ATM, and those are all over the place right now,” he said. “Losses in Tennessee are about 160 million dollars just with that.”

Dottie Lyvers, director of the Community Action Council Office on Aging, said artificial intelligence is making scams harder to spot.

“People can replicate voices of loved ones,” Lyvers said. “So it’s always good that if you think it is a grandchild or a family member to hang up and call that other family member and find out if that’s true or not.”

Lyvers said families should watch for warning signs like unpaid bills or sudden financial changes and stay actively involved in older relatives’ lives.

“If you suspect elder abuse at all, it must be reported to adult protective services,” she said. “And so a lot of times that is the first line of defense.”

ennessee law requires suspected elder abuse to be reported to Adult Protective Services.

In the Gatlinburg case, officers intervened before further losses occurred, ultimately leading to the arrest of a suspect on charges related to fraud, theft, and the financial exploitation of an elderly or vulnerable adult.

Gentile said many victims feel embarrassed or afraid to come forward, especially if a family member may be involved. Others may not realize they’ve been scammed until the money is already gone. He says early reporting is critical to preventing more losses.

Adult Protective Services can be reached at 888-277-8366.

More resources surrounding elder abuse can be found here. 

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‘It’s an epidemic’ | Elder fraud costs Tennessee seniors millions, advocates say 

Nexus trio pleads not guilty to financial exploitation crimes

WMRA | By Randi B. Hagi 

Two leaders and an employee of the company Nexus, formerly based in Verona, pled not guilty to financial exploitation crimes in court on Monday. The case is scheduled to go to trial next month. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.

Michael Donovan and Richard Moore, the couple that formerly led the company Nexus, and their employee Timothy Shipe, all pled not guilty to allegedly stealing more than $400,000 from Zachary Cruz – a young man the couple took in in 2018. Donovan and Moore each face four felony counts – financially exploiting a vulnerable adult, obtaining money by false pretenses, and conspiring to commit both crimes. Shipe faces two felony charges related to the conspiracy.

Donovan and his attorney, Eugene Oliver, are due back in court on Feb. 23 to determine whether Oliver can continue to represent him, because one of the prosecution's potential witnesses was previously represented by an attorney that works for Oliver.

Also on Monday, both sides – and an attorney for Shenandoah Valley Social Services – argued over a slew of motions regarding what evidence should be allowed in the case. Lindsay Combs, an employee of the social services agency, has been appointed by the court as Cruz's legal guardian. Richard Moore's attorney, Caleb Routhier, argued he should be given the chance to interview Cruz ahead of the trial, and both he and Donovan's attorney seek access to Cruz's confidential guardianship records.

An attorney for the social services agency said this motion "should not be used as a fishing expedition." Oliver argued that Cruz's mental capacity or incapacity is central to the commonwealth's case against his client, so they need to see the relevant records. Judge Sean Workowski allowed the attorneys to obtain the commonwealth's copies of these files, with restrictions on who can access them.

Combs argued that it would be detrimental for Routhier to interview Cruz, due to "past trauma" inflicted on him by the defendants, and the fact that a previous attorney tried to get to him while he was in psychiatric care under an emergency custody order. Workowski said he was inclined to deny Routhier's motion, but allowed him to submit questions in writing for Combs to review.

Workowski did not make a decision about whether the prosecution can bring up Moore's conviction for federal tax evasion, which they say was a primary motive for the financial exploitation. Moore is currently serving a six-plus year sentence for those crimes. Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Alex Meador said the Internal Revenue Service has refused to testify in this case, which is why they need to reference the conviction.

A five-day jury trial is scheduled to begin March 9. It's been delayed six times since the defendants were arrested in 2022.

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Nexus trio pleads not guilty to financial exploitation crimes 

Commentary: New York needs a publicly funded guardianship system

Pass the Good Guardianship Act to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to this vital protection.

By Kimberly George and Cordell Cleare

In a quiet office in upstate New York, a guardian opens a folder filled with a client’s documents: medical reports, housing records and correspondence from service providers. The person they are appointed to support once lived independently and made their own choices, but now, due to illness, disability or isolation, they cannot manage entirely on their own. What the guardian sees is not just an individual in need, but a system struggling to respond.

Across New York, judges routinely report difficulty finding qualified guardians for people who need them. Thousands of New Yorkers — older adults, people with disabilities and individuals without family or financial resources — require decision-making support to remain safe and housed, access health care, and live with dignity.

Yet New York remains one of the few states without a publicly funded guardianship program. Instead, access to guardianship depends largely on geography, philanthropy and the willingness of under-resourced nonprofits to stretch limited budgets even further.

Under Article 81 of the Mental Hygiene Law, guardianship is a vital protection for people who cannot fully care for themselves due to illness, injury, cognitive impairment or disability. When done well, guardianship is narrowly tailored, person-centered and focused on preserving autonomy while ensuring safety and well-being. But the system can only function if there are guardians available — and today, there are not enough.

There is a solution: the New York State Good Guardianship Act. The legislation would establish a statewide, publicly funded guardianship program, ensuring that people who need guardianship and have no one else to turn to can access qualified, well-supported guardians regardless of where they live. The measure would also strengthen oversight, promote person-centered practices and help build capacity in underserved regions.

New York’s guardianship crisis is not new, and it is not temporary. The state’s population is aging rapidly, dementia rates are rising, more people are aging without family supports, and more New Yorkers are living longer with complex disabilities and limited incomes. These realities have collided with a guardianship system that was never designed to meet statewide need.

The result is a patchwork approach that leaves judges with few options, guardians stretched thin, and vulnerable people waiting — sometimes for months — for help. In some cases, individuals remain stuck in hospitals, shelters or unsafe housing simply because no guardian is available to act on their behalf.

Investing in guardianship is not only the right thing to do; it is fiscally responsible. A recent cost-benefit analysis of a person-centered guardianship model in New York found that over nearly a decade, the program saved approximately $142 million in Medicaid expenditures by avoiding unnecessary nursing home placements, reducing hospitalizations and recovering liens. When accounting for avoided shelter placements for people at risk of homelessness, total public cost reductions ranged from $155 million to $166 million for just 236 clients — nearly $67,000 per person per year.

But this issue is about more than dollars. It is about dignity, justice and basic fairness.

New York’s Master Plan for Aging recognizes the importance of supporting alternatives to institutionalization and investing in systems that allow people to remain in their communities. A robust, publicly funded guardianship program is essential to achieving those goals — not as a substitute for other services, but as a necessary complement when individuals cannot navigate systems on their own.

The guardian at their desk, surrounded by files, is doing work that the state depends on but has never fully supported. The Good Guardianship Act offers New York a chance to correct that imbalance and build a guardianship system that is equitable, sustainable, and worthy of the people it serves.

Kimberly George is the president and CEO of Project Guardianship. State Sen. Cordell Cleare of Harlem represents the 30th Senate District.

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Commentary: New York needs a publicly funded guardianship system 

Court of Appeal: Judge Erred in Quashing Subpoena for ‘Disabled’ Victim

Opinion Says Defendant Facing Felony Charges for Allegedly Kidnapping Fiancée From Facility Where She Was Held Under Temporary Guardianship Was Wrongly Blocked From Calling Her to Testify

By a MetNews Staff Writer

Div. Two of the Fourth District Court of Appeal has held that a trial judge in a criminal proceeding erred in quashing a defense subpoena relating to the victim of an alleged kidnapping, who was purportedly taken by her fiancé from a conservator’s facility after being diagnosed with schizophrenia, based on a finding that a probate court order declaring her to be “gravely disabled” was dispositive of her incompetence to testify.

Competency to testify is governed by Evidence Code §701, which provides that “[a] person is disqualified to be a witness” if she is “[i]ncapable of expressing…herself” or “of understanding the duty…to tell the truth.”

Justice Richard T. Fields authored Thursday’s opinion, joined in by Presiding Justice Manuel A. Ramirez and Justice Carol D. Codrington, noting that the “issue of whether incompetence to testify can be presumed from a grave disability finding…appears to be one of first impression.”

Pointing out that the standard applicable for finding a party to be “gravely disabled” and in need of involuntary civil commitment under the Lanterman–Petris–Short Act (the “LPS Act”), codified at Welfare & Institutions Code §5000 et seq., requires a different showing than §701, Fields opined:

“Whether a witness’s mental health disorder renders them incapable of expressing themself or understanding the duty to tell the truth must be determined by the trial court…, the answer to those questions cannot be presumed from a prior finding regarding their mental health. We therefore conclude that the trial court erred when it ruled that [the alleged victim’s] competence to testify was ‘already . . . determined’ by the fact that a probate court had found her to be gravely disabled….”

Kidnapping Charges

 Challenging the order quashing the subpoena was Alexander Esparza, who was charged in October 2024 with kidnapping his fiancée, identified in the opinion only as “L.S.,” from a Redlands-area facility run by the San Bernardino County Office of the Public Guardian. At the time she went missing from the location, L.S. was under a temporary conservatorship pursuant to the LPS Act.

After the couple was apprehended attempting to return to the U.S. from Mexico, a probate court found that L.S. was “gravely disabled as a result of mental disorder and is unable to provide for basic personal needs of food, clothing, and/or shelter.” On Oct. 11, 2024, the San Bernardino County Office of the Public Guardian was appointed as her conservator following a schizophrenia diagnosis.

In January 2025, Esparza served the conservator with a subpoena seeking L.S.’s appearance and testimony at his upcoming preliminary hearing. The office responded by filing a motion to quash, arguing that L.S.’s status as “gravely disabled” rendered her incompetent to testify as a matter of law.

San Bernardino Superior Court Judge R. Glenn Yabuno granted the motion, saying:

“[I]t is the Court’s belief that the…issue has already been determined. There has already been a finding that [L.S.] does not have the capacity to testify….I don’t believe it is a situation that has to be relitigated under 701.”

Esparza filed a petition for a writ of mandate seeking vacatur of the trial court’s order.

Other Types of Incompetence

Saying that “it is well established that other types of incompetence—to stand trial, to waive certain trial rights, to give or withhold consent to medical treatment—may not be presumed from a grave-disability finding,” Fields reasoned:

“Although those decisions do not involve the determination of competence to testify under Evidence Code section 701, we think that their holdings apply in this context with equal force….[L]ike the standards for those other types of competence, the standard for competence to testify is distinct from the standard for determining grave disability under the LPS Act….Because the two standards are different, one cannot serve as a substitute for the other.”

Citing case law that predates the 1967 enactment of the LPS Act, he commented:

“On multiple occasions, our Supreme Court has held that a mental disorder or cognitive deficiency is not, on its own, sufficient to demonstrate that a witness is incompetent to testify.”

The San Bernardino County Office of the Public Guardian asserted that any testimony L.S. might have provided at the preliminary hearing would have been irrelevant to the defendant’s kidnapping charges because, as her conservator at the time of the alleged offense, it was the only party with the authority to consent to her leaving the facility.

Material Evidence

Rejecting the characterization, Fields acknowledged that a subpoena may be properly quashed where the witness would not have contributed any material evidence but said:

“Because L.S. is the alleged victim of the charged crime, her testimony will undoubtedly contribute material evidence. If, on remand, the trial court determines that L.S. is competent to testify in the proceeding, she would be a percipient witness to the alleged crime. On a scale of materiality, it is difficult to imagine a more material witness.”

In a footnote, the jurist noted that “the trial court incorrectly referred to witness ‘capacity’ as opposed to ‘competency,’ ” but he found that the issue was properly identified as being governed by §701.

He declared:

“Let a writ of mandate issue, directing the superior court to vacate its order granting the Public Guardian’s motion to quash, to enter an order denying the motion, and to determine L.S.’s competence under the standard set out in Evidence Code section 701.”

The case is Esparza v. Superior Court (People), 2026 S.O.S. 378.

Source:

Court of Appeal:
Judge Erred in Quashing Subpoena for ‘Disabled’ Victim

Trusted Chicago judge takes Tuskegee Airman's cash, then flips it into bitcoin for herself

By Chris Tye, Michele Youngerman

Patricia Martin, a lawyer turned judge who spent 24 years on the bench, rising to become the top judge in Cook County's Juvenile Court, seemed to have the credentials to be trusted handling the finances of Oscar Lawton Wilkerson as he reached his mid-90s. 

She had been related to the former Tuskegee Airman and agreed to help. Instead of helping Wilkerson, court records show Martin instead helped herself to his cash, moving money from his accounts and buying bitcoin.

Eric Puryear has known Wilkerson his entire life, as his grandfather was Wilkerson's best friend. They trusted Martin to manage the money, considering her an adopted family member.

"Every box for trustworthiness seemed to be checked there, and so she seemed to be the perfect person," said Puryear. "She seemed like the perfect person on paper. In hindsight, she was not."

The first sign of trouble came in August 2020, when the nursing home where Wilkerson was living called to say they had not been paid in months, and $41,000 was owed immediately. Puryear started looking into what happened with Wilkerson's finances.

"Account balances weren't right, checks were being dishonored," said Puryear. "Serious financial problem."

This didn't make sense to Puryear. Wilkerson had saved plenty and now was facing a new battle after all he sacrificed. 

"He's a Tuskegee Airmen, World War II veteran, just an all-around wonderful person," said Puryear. "Dealing with segregation, dealing with all of that while still also flying, it is amazing."

Wilkerson made history as one of America's first Black military pilots. Tuskegee Airmen took frontline risks and then took heat as boundary breakers that many didn't like. After the military, Wilkerson flew for fun and became a Chicago-based radio technician. He married, never had kids, and saved for his golden years.

"It was clear Lawton should have had hundreds of thousands of dollars, certainly enough to take care of him for the rest of his life, because he'd worked so hard and saved so hard," said Puryear.

Puryear reached out to Martin about the missing funds, but wasn't getting an answer from her.

"She attempted to dodge and evade, like apparently she'd been doing for some number of months at that point, and she didn't seem to have the time to return a phone call over such an important thing," said Puryear. "You'd think, if she was innocent, that would have caused her to want to communicate right away, but she didn't."

It was a critical time for Wilkerson since, without paying what he owed the nursing home, he was told he was going to have to move out of the place he called home if things weren't settled.

"She stole the money, we can see from some of the documents we've gotten," said Puryear. "All of her actions, they shock the conscience."

Court documents show 11 withdrawals over 18 months, with Martin shutting down accounts and pocketing more than $245,000, moving most of her new wealth into hard-to-track bitcoin. She was arrested and faced various charges, including money laundering and financial exploitation of an elderly person. She pleaded guilty to one felony theft count and was sentenced to four years of probation.

"Probation and a felony conviction for that sort of theft from that sort of a victim just is not quite enough," said Puryear. "It's hard to think of something more evil for her to have done, but she did."

Puryear, an attorney, filed a lawsuit on Wilkerson's behalf to get his money back, accusing Martin of stealing more than $380,000. During that case, Martin repeatedly failed to show up for court hearings. The judge ordered her to halt all transactions, but court documents show she ignored that, too, and moved more money. In the end, the judge ordered Martin to pay up nearly $1.2 million in damages – triple the amount she stole.

"It makes me wonder what is wrong in Patricia's heart that she would do that to somebody," said Puryear. 

Martin appealed the lawsuit judgment and had it overturned, in part because Wilkerson died. Wilkerson's loved ones are planning to file another lawsuit, continuing their fight to get back the money Martin took.

She lost her law license because of all this, admitting: "… the evidence would clearly and convincingly establish the facts and conclusions of misconduct."

Wilkerson's care never suffered due to Martin's theft, but for a man whose legacy is etched in history, the moves of Martin are etched in the minds of those who loved him most.

"Lawton was such a fine man; one of the finest people I have ever met in my life," said Puryear. "And Patricia Martin is one of the absolute worst humans, and to see that contrast between them is breathtaking."

Martin declined to speak with CBS News Chicago for this story. The former judge continues to draw her government pension. 

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Trusted Chicago judge takes Tuskegee Airman's cash, then flips it into bitcoin for herself 

Report: Kornak Bought in Bulk but Gave Elderly Woman Only One Roll of Toilet Paper

By Tom Gantert

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The notes from a state investigator looking into embezzlement allegations against Traci Kornak show she charged bulk purchases to an elderly woman’s account but only gave the woman a single roll of toilet paper.

That’s just one of the details that emerged from a House Oversight Committee hearing investigating Kornak’s role as the court-appointed conservator for an elderly mentally challenged woman named Rose Burd. The committee hearing testimony came from the notes of a State of Michigan investigator with Adult Protective Services. Last week, Kornak was criminally charged with embezzlement by the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office.

An accounting firm found as much as $419,640 in questionable charges by Kornak during her duties as a conservator. Burd died in April 2025.

The investigation showed how Burd’s caregivers said in June 2023 that they noticed that receipts from Costco showed bulk items being purchased, but that Burd only received a single roll of toilet paper or paper towel. They noticed the same thing with bulk purchases of shampoo, body wash, wet wipes and frozen food.

The investigation also showed receipts from Costco that Burd had paid for that included noodles and alcohol. The caregivers told the state investigator that Burd didn’t drink alcohol and had no stove and didn’t eat noodles. The caretaker also said that many of the things on the Costco receipt couldn’t be found in Burd’s apartment at an independent care facility.

Kornak was cleared in two separate investigations by the Attorney General’s office of any wrongdoing. According to testimony at the House Oversight Committee, when Kornak was investigated by the Kent County Sheriff’s Department, she immediately told them she had already been cleared by the AG’s office. Kornak served on Attorney General Dana Nessel’s transition team and was also the treasurer for the state Democratic Party. Nessel was accused of having a conflict of interest in the case because she asked for updates and had communications with her staff about the investigation into Kornak, who had told people she was best friends with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. 

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Report: Kornak Bought in Bulk but Gave Elderly Woman Only One Roll of Toilet Paper 

Seven Arrested for Hospice Fraud in Monterey County

Posted on February 6, 2026

“The California DOJ Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse works, in part, to protect tax payer funds as they pertain to programs such as Medi-Cal.  Protecting these programs from fraud means funds will be available for those who need it.”

CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

MONTEREY COUNTY — On February 5, 2025, California Attorney General Bonta announced the arrests of, and filing of multiple felony charges against, seven individuals for hospice fraud in Monterey County. Among the individuals arrested is the owner of Compassionate Touch Hospice and Spiritual Touch Hospice, two co-owners of Fountain Hospice, three doctors, and one nurse. The arrest and charges are the result of investigations by the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Health Service Office of the Inspector General.
 
“Abusing systems meant to support Californians, and putting profits before people and their families won’t be tolerated,” said Bonta.
 
California DOJ received a referral from the California Board of Registered Nursing after fraudulent activity was discovered and associated with Spiritual Touch Hospice and Compassionate Touch Hospice. The California DOJ Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse’s (DMFEA) multi-year investigation revealed a sophisticated conspiracy to defraud Medi-Cal and Medicare and allegedly involved the owners, doctors and nurses of Spiritual Touch Hospice, Compassionate Touch Hospice, and Fountain Hospice. The defendants owned, operated, or worked for the three hospice companies simultaneously.  It is alleged they recruited, enrolled, and certified patients for hospice services who did not suffer from a terminal diagnosis. Some of these patients did not know hospice was intended for patients who were terminally ill, or that they were even enrolled in hospice. To avoid suspicion, the defendants allegedly transferred several patients between the three companies after six months and continued fraudulently billing for hospice services.
 
The total loss to Medi-Cal and Medicare is $3,211,419.79. On January 30, 2026, DMFEA filed felony charges in Monterey County Superior Court against:

• Nimfa Molina (Head Nurse),
• Luis Artavia (Medical Director),
•  Mark Samonte (Medical Director),
• Shomir Banerjee (Medical Director),
• Danny Lodevico (Owner),
• Flor Mora (Owner), and
• Christine Nugiud-Yem (Owner)

 alleging violations of false or fraudulent claims, conspiracy to commit a crime, with an aggravated white-collar enhancement.
 
The DMFEA is a California Department of Justice unit whose mission is to protect citizens and the state’s medical program from those who defraud taxpayers and divert state health care resources. The investigation would not have been possible without the collaboration of government agencies and those who reported the incidences of Medi-Cal fraud.

It is important to note that a criminal indictment contains charges that are only allegations against a person. Every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

A copy of the complaint can be found here.  

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Seven Arrested for Hospice Fraud in Monterey County 

$5.5 million lawsuit alleges elder exploitation at Collierville facility

The former executive director of StoryPoint Collierville, an upscale senior living community, faces new accusations of exploiting the elderly in his care.

By Joyce Peterson and Lydian Coombs

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - A new car, wads of cash, and gifts galore.

The former executive director of StoryPoint Collierville, an upscale senior living community, faces new accusations of exploiting the elderly in his care for his benefit. 57-year-old Timothy Johnson was arrested in December and charged with theft of over $10,000 and aggravated burglary after Collierville police say he stole items from residents’ rooms.

Now, he faces a $5.5 million lawsuit alleging he swindled another resident out of more than half a million dollars.

Timothy Johnson(Collierville Police Department)

Inside the impressive-looking StoryPoint Collierville Independent and Enhanced Living Facility at 691 South Byhalia Road, consumer protection attorney Kevin Snider says something ugly lurks.

“People need to know about this,” he warned, “because something’s not right out there.“

Snider sued StoryPoint last year after the company illegally took thousands of dollars out of his bank account and made unauthorized withdrawals from his mother’s bank account.

He also sued them for fraud and violating the Consumer Protection Act when he learned they falsely claimed to be a licensed assisted living facility.

His 84-year-old mother, Charlotte, had been a resident there for about three years. Her care, he said, was less than ideal.

“We found literally hundreds, if not thousands of pills scattered throughout the kitchen cabinets,” Snider told Action News 5, “and they were dated back days, sometimes weeks, sometimes months.“

The judge ordered StoryPoint to pay Snider $25,000. 

Kevin Snider, consumer protection attorney(Action News 5)

Two days later, he saw Johnson’s mugshot on the news, stunned to learn the former executive director of StoryPoint Collierville was charged with stealing items from residents’ rooms.

“It continued from there,” said Snider, “because that’s not even the end of it.“

Snider filed a $5.5 million civil lawsuit on Tuesday, February 3, accusing Johnson of gaining the trust of an elderly resident, Marvin Ford, then milking him for gifts, money and a new car. The trustee of Ford’s estate had reached out to Snider, concerned about a series of events.

The suit alleges 25 checks were written to Johnson, totalling about $20,000, along with cash withdrawals of roughly $25,000.

The complaint says another $20,000 disappeared from a locked safe in Ford’s apartment.

Johnson also received a new Toyota Corolla from Ford worth $40,000, and he wound up in Ford’s trust, inheriting $435,000 after Ford passed away in January 2025.

“So it begs the question, what’s really going on out there?” said Snider, “How big is this? Were there other people involved? You know, was corporate involved for that matter? I mean, who knows? They obviously don’t care. They obviously don’t exercise oversight over it.“

Snider points to an email attached to the lawsuit in which the trustee of Ford’s estate asked StoryPoint if managers should be named in residents’ wills or trusts.

StoryPoint Collierville Independent and Enhanced Living Facility, located at 691 South Byhalia Road(Action News 5)

The reply from the company’s Customer Insights and Reputation Marketing manager was: “I don’t see an issue with that.”

Snider’s mother is now in hospice. He’s handling the stress and emotional toll of that while focusing on finding out the truth about what went on inside StoryPoint Collierville.

“I’ve seen some horrible things that companies and people do to consumers,” said Snider, “but this is by far the worst. You’re doing it to the most fragile people at the end of their lives.”

Action News 5 called StoryPoint representatives multiple times Wednesday and reached out via email for a statement and heard nothing back.

Collierville police say the investigation into Johnson’s alleged thefts from residents has not yet concluded. 

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$5.5 million lawsuit alleges elder exploitation at Collierville facility 

Rabun County man charged with sexual assault, strangulation of disabled adult

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team

Robert Moon (Source: Rabun County Sheriff's Office)

The Brief

• • Robert Early Moon faces multiple felony charges, including aggravated assault and exploitation of a disabled adult.
  • Investigators identified additional acts of violence involving both strangulation and sexual assault.
  • Authorities have not yet disclosed Moon’s specific relationship to the victim or his current professional status.

RABUN COUNTY, Ga. - A 52-year-old Rabun County man has been charged with strangling and abusing a disabled adult.

What we know:  Robert Early Moon is charged with battery, criminal trespass (damage), aggravated assault, and exploitation and intimidation of a disabled adult.

The investigation was launched on Jan. 21 after deputies responded to a report of an assault near the 1200 block of Old Highway 441 South.

In addition to taking the victim’s statement, deputies noticed visible injuries. Investigators determined additional acts of violence, including strangulation and sexual assault.

Moon was arrested at his home on Jan. 29 and booked into the Rabun County jail.

What they're saying:  "I want to commend the deputies and investigators involved for their diligent, professional work throughout this investigation. As with all cases, these charges are allegations, and the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law," Sheriff Mark Gerrells wrote in a statement on the sheriff’s office Facebook page.

What we don't know:  It is unclear if Moon remains in jail or if he has retained legal representation.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the specific relationship between Moon and the victim, nor have they clarified if the victim was under Moon's professional care at the time of the alleged assault. 

It remains unclear how long the alleged abuse had been occurring prior to the Jan. 21 report or if there are other potential victims. 

It was not immediately known if a weapon was used during the incident.

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Rabun County man charged with sexual assault, strangulation of disabled adult