No capacity: State’s Public Guardian Office rejects nearly all requests to represent vulnerable Nebraskans

After a private guardian with dozens of clients was accused of financial abuse, the public office took on zero wards. The alleged abuser retained six. 

By Andrew Wegley

Jaclyn Daake looked everywhere. 

The Alma attorney’s new client, a western Nebraska man living with a developmental disability, needed a guardian, someone to manage his life and finances. His guardian for the past two years, a York County woman who served in the court-appointed role for dozens of vulnerable Nebraskans, had just been charged with stealing from one of her clients. Law enforcement was looking for other victims.

Daake scoured court records, searching for anyone who might be willing to serve as the man’s guardian. She wrote letters to 11 people. Eventually, she reached an old friend of the man’s grandfather, who despite the distant connection was willing to serve as his guardian, she said. He was appointed in February, three months after Daake started her search.

During that time, there was one place Daake did not turn: Nebraska’s Office of Public Guardian, the government office meant to serve as the last resort for Nebraskans deemed — often due to old age, disabilities or injuries — unable to care for themselves.

“It’s a waste of time,” Daake said.

When vulnerable Nebraskans don’t have any loved ones willing or able to serve as their guardians, judges often appoint private, for-profit guardians to fill the role. Lawmakers created the Office of Public Guardian in 2014 after one such guardian with more than 600 wards stole thousands of dollars from her unknowing clients.

But with constant demand and stagnant funding, attorneys say Nebraska’s guardian of last resort isn’t a resort at all.

The Public Guardian initially turned down 98% of appointments in the 12-month reporting period that ended Oct. 31, up from 77% in 2020, according to the office’s annual reports, most often because the office has no caseload capacity. State law prevents the office from accepting more than an average of 20 appointments per guardian on its staff.

The office’s inability to take on new cases has boiled to a point of frustration for attorneys like Daake — particularly after the November arrest of Becky Stamp, who wielded near total control over the lives and finances of vulnerable people across 18 counties before she was accused of stealing thousands from a man whose life she managed.

“I guess my ultimate question — and this is where I get on my soapbox — is why do we have this program if it’s kind of smoke and mirrors?” Daake said.

For more than a month after her arrest, Stamp remained the guardian for at least 25 vulnerable Nebraskans, the Flatwater Free Press reported in January. Advocates called it “a systemic failure” to protect the victims caught up in the sweeping abuse scandal, among the 10,000-plus Nebraskans who have been placed under guardianships or conservatorships. In at least some cases, the Public Guardian’s lack of caseload capacity helped leave Stamp’s authority in place for longer. 

Lawmakers and judicial branch leaders have implemented new regulations and safeguards this year aimed at private guardians like Stamp. But legislators, facing a budget shortfall this year, made no adjustment to the Public Guardian’s budget.

Nearly five months after her arrest, Stamp remains the appointed guardian for six vulnerable Nebraskans, according to a Flatwater review of court filings. In three of those cases, attorneys petitioned the Public Guardian to take over.

Each time, the response was the same: “The Office of Public Guardian is unable to accept the nomination due to caseload capacity limitations having been reached.”

‘There’s not the political will’

Michelle Chaffee led the Office of Public Guardian from its inception in 2014, when lawmakers made Nebraska the last state in the country to create a central office for guardianship.

“I started the office,” she said. “I built the office. I worked for it to be credible, (hiring) really high-performance individuals who would care for people who have no voice and make sure they were protected because they can’t speak for themselves.”

But she retired in 2024 after years of leading a staff of underpaid public servants, she said, and fighting legislative attempts to increase their caseload capacity. The job is “really, really tough” and turnover is high, she told a committee of lawmakers in 2023. “You can make a lot more money doing things with a lot less stress because of what our salaries are,” she said then.

Among the final straws that led to Chaffee’s retirement, she said: Gov. Jim Pillen’s decision in May 2023 to line-item veto $500,000 lawmakers had earmarked for the office over two years. Pillen argued Nebraska’s judicial branch, which oversees the Public Guardian Office, had “enough funding to manage potential increases in demand for these services.”

Before her retirement, Chaffee said she calculated the office would soon need up to 100 public guardians and an operating budget of about $6 million to meet the state’s needs. 

The office’s budget last year was $2.9 million — about $267,000 less than what the agency had sought from lawmakers, according to state budget documents. The budget paid for 30 employees, around 20 of whom were associate public guardians serving wards across the state.

“Bottom line,” Chaffee said, “there’s not the political will and commitment to provide services to the most vulnerable in Nebraska.”

Lawmakers in 2022 did allocate an extra $524,000 to the office, allowing the state to hire four more employees. But the office’s growth hasn’t kept pace with its demand.

The Public Guardian accepted more than 22% of the appointments to which it was nominated in 2020, but that rate plummeted to 1.6% last year, according to its annual reports, most often attributable to lack of caseload capacity. More than 75% of nominations have been declined due to lack of capacity since November 2021.

Most cases the office declines to take head to a waitlist, where wards can wait up to 90 days for a vacancy to open. If that doesn’t happen, they’re removed from the waitlist altogether, the fate most cases meet. Last year, the Public Guardian took on 32 of the 121 cases that had been referred to the waitlist.

No Capacity

Nebraska’s Office of Public Guardian has accepted fewer and fewer appointments to serve vulnerable Nebraskans since 2021, increasingly because the state-funded office does not have the capacity to take them on.

Year	Nominations	No Capacity*	Accepted
2025	124	103	2
2024	132	101	8
2023	115	83	14
2022	94	67	15
2021	112	76	21

* Cases in which the Office of the Public Guardian told the courts they did not have enough capacity to serve when nominated. Each “year” reflects a 12-month reporting period that ends Oct. 31.

Source: Office of the Public Guardian annual reports

Corey Steel, the state court administrator who oversees the operations of Nebraska’s judicial branch, said that once a ward is assigned a public guardian, they typically remain on the office’s caseload until a court deems they can care for themselves or they die. The rate at which either happens is far lower than how often the office is nominated to serve.

“And so that’s the quandary we sit in,” he said. “Without more associate public guardians … we’re at that capacity level.”

Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Omaha, who authored guardianship reform efforts before and after Stamp’s arrest last year, noted that she has tried to secure more funding for the office, including the $500,000 Pillen vetoed.

“But I don’t think it’s ever going to be the answer to fully do everything through the OPG,” she said. “We’re going to have to do some of it through private guardianships. It’s always a balance.”

‘You don’t want to overcorrect’

Nebraska’s legislative and judicial branches have both sought to reform the state’s guardianship system in the months since Stamp’s arrest. Lawmakers voted 49-0 last week to send to Pillen’s desk a bill that DeBoer sponsored preventing private guardians from taking on more than 20 cases at a time — the same caseload limit state law already puts on public guardians. Stamp had been nominated as the guardian for 42 wards.

The bill also requires private guardians to visit the Nebraskans they serve at least once every three months and guarantees wards the right to attend court hearings in their own cases virtually or in person.

Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Omaha sponsored a bill this year preventing private guardians from taking on more than 20 cases at a time, among other reforms. Lawmakers voted 49-0 last week to send the bill to Gov. Jim Pillen’s desk. Photo courtesy of Nebraska Legislature

Separately, the judicial branch in January began quarterly reviews of all cases assigned to guardians who have taken on five or more wards, reporting any red flags to judges overseeing the cases, Steel said.

Even with the new reforms, neither Steel nor DeBoer sees Nebraska’s guardianship system as a finished product, they both said. Nor does Amy Miller, a staff attorney at the nonprofit advocacy group Disability Rights Nebraska, which first publicized Stamp’s alleged theft in December and testified in support of DeBoer’s latest bill.

“Down the road, I think we’re going to need further legislative reform if we want to close the loopholes that have allowed financial abuse,” Miller said. She and other advocates hope the state considers less sweeping alternatives to full guardianships, which accounted for more than 97% of cases on the Public Guardian’s docket last year despite a state law that already requires judges to explore less restrictive alternatives.

DeBoer introduced a resolution calling for a study of Nebraska’s guardianship system, including whether judges get enough information to know whether someone should be placed under a full guardianship.

“This is one of those things where you take little bites at the apple and try to get it, because you don’t want to overcorrect,” she said.

For Molly Blazek, an Omaha attorney who founded the firm Nebraska Guardianship Counsel in 2018, the state may have overcorrected already.

Blazek said her law firm was initially “born to take over some of that overflow” from the Office of Public Guardian as its caseload began to rise. Now, Blazek is the guardian or conservator for 46 vulnerable Nebraskans, more than double the limit lawmakers put in place this month.

DeBoer’s bill prohibits guardians from accepting new appointments if they have 20 or more clients already. It’s unclear if the law will require Blazek to comply with the new limit retroactively — and where the wards in her care will end up if it does.

“If the change in law is going to say I can no longer help the 46 people that I’m helping,” she said, “my biggest concern is: Who’s going to help these people next?”

Full Article & Source:
No capacity: State’s Public Guardian Office rejects nearly all requests to represent vulnerable Nebraskans 

A Daughter’s Fight for Truth Turned into a Guardianship and Probate Nightmare

(By Pamela Locke Bimberg, Daughter) – My mother suffered a brain aneurysm in March 2005, and our family’s life changed forever. For years after that medical crisis, my father and I stood by her side, along with my siblings.

Before my mother became incapacitated, she handled all of the personal and business finances because my father was limited in his ability to do so. My father then insisted that I step into that role and do everything my mother had done, including helping manage their personal finances, her rental properties, and his road-building and land-clearing business.

I was not a stranger to my mother’s care, and I was not a stranger to my parents’ finances. My father and I were as close as a daughter and father could be from the day I was born. I was a true daddy’s girl. I was his favorite, and he made that known. CONTINUE

Source:
A Daughter’s Fight for Truth Turned into a Guardianship and Probate Nightmare 

Darke DD plans decision-making program

by Brittany Hill

GREENVILLE — Darke County Board of Developmental Disabilities is proud to announce a free, live presentation, “Supported Decision-Making and Guardianship” led by Attorney Derek Graham, an experienced advocate in special needs and estate planning law. This free, important event will take place on Tuesday, April 28 at 6 p.m. in Birchwood Training Center at 5844 Jaysville-St. Johns Road, Greenville.

This informative session is designed to help individuals and families navigate the complexities of future planning for loved ones with developmental disabilities.

Whether they are a parent, caregiver, or professional working with individuals with disabilities, this presentation will offer valuable insights and practical tools for ensuring security, independence, and peace of mind for the future.

Event Details:

– Date: Tuesday, April 28

– Time: 6 p.m.

– Location: 5844 Jaysville-St. Johns Road, Greenville, Ohio 45331

– Food: Pizza and beverages will be available

– Presenter: Attorney Derek Graham of Philipps and Graham, LLC

– Cost: Free to attend

Pre-registration is required! Call Joseph Badell, Darke DD Community Services Director, at (937) 459-4609 to register for this training.

Source:
Darke DD plans decision-making program  

 

Movement grows on Connecticut disability bills, but key issues remain

By Cris Villalonga-Vivoni

Mary-Ann Langton, foreground, with her aid Patty Ellis, speak to Governor Ned Lamont staffer Abigail Cotto after members of ADAPT CT enter the governor’s office wanting to speak to the governor, they were told he was not in, on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at the Capitol in Hartford. The advocates returned twice more before being able to secure a meeting with Lamont. 

Jim Michaud/Hearst Connecticut Media

After months of advocacy, Gov. Ned Lamont is backing off a proposal that would’ve cut funding to a community-based Medicaid program serving more than 7,200 residents.

​Community First Choice, or CFC, is a longstanding entitlement program that allows enrollees to directly hire personal care aides to support their day-to-day needs while living in the community or at home. 

​As part of his budget proposal, Lamont sought to end funding for the program, arguing that rising enrollment was also driving up the costs to sustain it. The program also faces administrative challenges, particularly payroll-related issues. If it had been finalized, all of the current participants would have been moved to one of the state’s capped Medicaid waivers offering similar services.​ 

​However, advocates and community members have instead argued that the waivers lack sufficient slots and funding to meet the growing demand. As a result, folks may end up on years-long waiting lists or be pushed into already-stretched institutional care systems.

Lamont backed off the CFC proposal following a meeting with several disability rights advocates in early April. The state’s Appropriation Committee also rejected the proposal when advancing its budget forward. 

Connecticut Public first reported that none of the original proposal is expected to be included in the final budget set to be approved in the coming weeks.

Here are other major proposals on disability rights to keep an eye on as the 2026 legislative season winds down:

​HUSKY C 

Eliminating the asset limits on the state’s Medicaid plan for people with disabilities is back on the lawmakers’ docket, marking the third year advocates have pushed to address what they describe as restrictive and discriminatory eligibility.

HUSKY offers coverage based on specific categories, such as income, age, disability, and more. People with disabilities, however, are only categorically eligible for HUSKY C, which covers residents who are disabled, blind and elderly. It has the lowest income limit of any of the state’s programs — set at $1,370 — and asset limits of $1,600 and $2,400 for singles and couples. 

The latest proposal, if passed, would increase HUSKY C’s asset limits for an unmarried person to $5,000 and a married couple to $7,500. It would also require DSS to report asset data to the Human Services committee, which Sen. Matt Lesser said has been a challenge over the years and may yield a more accurate fiscal impact. 

As of April 14, the proposal was referred to the state Appropriations Committee by the House. 

Community members and advocates have asked lawmakers to increase income and asset limits, yet have struggled to secure any finalization.  In April 2025, Disability Rights Connecticut and the Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic filed a civil rights lawsuit on behalf of two residents arguing that the strict eligibility requirements violate the state Constitution's equal protection clause. 

But a lawsuit can take years and would be resolved if the issue were addressed through legislation, said Sheldon Toubman, a litigation attorney at Disability Rights Connecticut. 

And with incoming changes to the federal Medicaid program, such as work requirements, more people may lose their coverage and fall through the cracks in the insurance system over the next few years. 

Some residents will be directly affected by eligibility changes and funding cuts and may see coverage changes as early as next year. Others will drop off Medicaid, despite their eligibility, because they can't keep up with all the requirements, like Karen Healy.  

Healy began struggling with severe mental health issues, like PTSD, ADHD, and borderline personality disorder, at 16 years old. In 1989, she entered institutionalized care and spent more than 24 years receiving treatment before being discharged in 2014. 

She currently lives on her own in Hartford with 24/7 support and has been working as a ShopRite bagger for the last 3 years. Healy’s mental health care and medications are currently covered under MED-Connect, a state program that offers Medicaid coverage to employees with disabilities. 

Having a steady job, Healy said, has helped build her confidence over the years and has slowly helped her build out her life in the community after so many years of institutionalized care. 

Even just working 20 hours can be a lot on her body, Healy said, noting it impacts her sleep, mental health and leads to orthopedic issue flare-ups. However, starting Jan. 1, 2027, Medicaid enrollees will have to prove they’ve worked, volunteered or attended school for at least 80 hours a month to keep their coverage. 

“I would have to work, but my body would be shot,” Healy said. “It wouldn't be right. It wouldn’t be fair.”

If she were to quit her job and rely on disability payments, Healy said her income would be too high, by a few hundred dollars, to qualify for HUSKY C, which is why she’s advocating for the increased asset limits.  

Healy recalled once trying to meet a roughly $5,000 medical spend-down requirement when she didn’t have a job to meet HUSKY eligibility. Since then, she said she believes the amount has likely increased, making it more difficult to meet the spend-down requirement.

“If I don't have HUSKY C, all my meds would come out of my own pocket…my meds are what keep me out of psychiatric hospitals. So, I take them like if I were a diabetic and depended on my insulin,” Healy said. “I will always take my meds, no matter what. And if I had to, I would have to pay for all of them, and I might not have any money for myself.” 

Wheelchair repair 

​​Wheelchair repairs are once again on the lawmakers' proposed bill docket. 

​Two private equity companies — Numotion and National Seating & Mobility — provide most of the repair services in Connecticut and nationwide. 

​In 2024, Lamont signed a multifaceted law aimed at reducing the months-long wait wheelchair users faced when trying to repair their chairs. This included a 10-business-day deadline for wheelchair technicians to fix equipment, eliminating insurance prior authorization for repairs and creating a Complex Rehabilitation Technology and Wheelchair Repair Advisory Council to implement the law. 

​Yet, in the two years since the bill passed, wheelchair users have reported mixed progress. 

​Although there has been some improvement, Joe Shortt, an advocate with the Connecticut Wheelchair Repair Coalition, said Numotion “actively deceives” customers by not informing them that repairs can now be offered at home, instead forcing people to come into the store for services. 

​The proposed legislation would require customer notification about current standards, available at-home service options and how to file a complaint with the state if the work is not completed properly. It’d also require wheelchair dealers to submit monthly reports and provide data to the Department of Social Services and the state’s Complex Rehabilitation Technology and Wheelchair Repair Advisory Council. 

​“Unfortunately, there are still some repairs taking months, such as Gary, who's been waiting, who's been stuck in the same uncomfortable position for seven months because his power wheelchair needs a tilt actuator repair. Or Mary, who's been waiting months for her foot plate to get repaired, which resulted in additional injuries to her feet,” Shortt said at a press conference in March. “We shouldn't have to be subjected to preventable injuries because of long repair times.”

​Although the proposal made it out of committee and is headed for further debate in the Senate with bipartisan support, state Rep. Jay Case, who voted against it, worries that it’s an issue that needs further input from other committees to fully address. 

​“I think we made some good movement on it,” he said in March when the bill was voted out of the Human Services Committee. “I just think we have to be careful. We need to make sure that they're getting what they need, and we're doing what's within our purview.” 

​Supported decisions

​There’s also a proposal that looks to require businesses, government agencies, organizations, medical providers, and educational institutions to recognize a supported decision-making agreement.

​​Unlike guardianship, support decision-making is a process that lets individuals with disabilities maintain legal, self-determined control with the help of a trusted support system, such as friends or family. 

​Around 30 states recognize supported decision making, but Connecticut has yet to catch up, said Molly Cole, executive director of the CT State Independent Living Council. Cole said the bill would not eliminate guardianship as an option but would create an opportunity for those who can make their own decisions to do so.

​“If I needed to buy a car, I would be asking somebody to tell me about a car. That's supported decision making,” she said at a press conference in March. “All of us do it every day, and yet we deny that right to so many people with disabilities.” 

The proposed bill was developed in collaboration with disability advocates and bipartisan lawmakers over the course of 10 months, but it’s been an issue that they’ve been working to address since 2023, said state Rep. Lucy Dathan. She explained that minors turning 18 years old and transitioning out of pediatric support systems would especially benefit from having a new avenue for decision-making. 

In addition, the proposal seeks to establish a program through the Department of Aging and Disability Services to provide information and resources on supported decision-making agreements and to facilitate their creation, execution, and termination.

As of April 14, the proposal has cleared the Human Services Committee and is headed to the House for further debate, with bipartisan support. 

Full Article & Source:
Movement grows on Connecticut disability bills, but key issues remain 

Dementia patient sexually abused by medical employee, police say

A St. Louis County man was indicted by a grand jury, accused of sexually abusing a dementia patient. 

Source:
Dementia patient sexually abused by medical employee, police say 

New law aims to protect Ga. seniors from financial exploitation

By Harry Samler

ATLANTA, Ga. - A new law now on Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk would give banks and credit unions a tool to temporarily delay certain transactions when there is reasonable cause to suspect financial exploitation.

House Bill 945 applies to an “eligible adult,” defined in the bill as someone 65 or older or a disabled adult. Under the bill, a financial institution may place a hold on the execution of a financial transaction if it has reasonable cause to suspect the transaction may involve, facilitate, result in, or contribute to financial exploitation.

The bill allows holds on transactions involving:

• An account of an eligible adult.
• An account on which an eligible adult is a beneficiary.
• An account of a person suspected of perpetrating the exploitation.

If a hold is placed, the financial institution must notify in writing all parties authorized to transact business on the account and any “trusted contact” on the account within three business days, unless the institution reasonably believes those people may be involved in the suspected exploitation.

The institution must also initiate a review of the facts and circumstances that led to the hold.

A hold expires on the 15th business day after it is placed, but the financial institution may extend the hold for up to an additional 15 business days if its review continues to support a reasonable belief of financial exploitation.

The bill says the length of a hold may be shortened or extended by a court. It would allow an eligible adult to designate at least one trusted contact on an account. A financial institution could contact that person to address possible financial exploitation or other concerns related to account administration.

To add a trusted contact, account holders should speak directly with their bank or credit union.

HB 945 includes immunity provisions for financial institutions and their employees who act in good faith and exercise reasonable care under the bill.

The bill’s current version does not include a specific effective date clause. That typically means it would take effect upon the governor’s signature, unless another date is set in the final enrolled act.

Resources for seniors and families

To report suspected elder financial abuse to your bank or credit union, ask to speak with a fraud or compliance officer.

You should also file a police report with your local department if you believe you or a loved one is the victim of financial exploitation or fraud. Keep a copy of the report number; you may need it when contacting your bank, an attorney or a state agency.

You can also report it to these agencies:

• FBI Elder Fraud Hotline: Call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.
• Federal Trade Commission: Report fraud at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
• Georgia Division of Aging Services/Adult Protective Services: Call 1-866-552-4464 to report suspected exploitation of a vulnerable adult in Georgia.

Full Article & Source:
New law aims to protect Ga. seniors from financial exploitation 

California officials dismantle $267M hospice fraud network, 21 suspects charged

Story by Iman Palm 

California officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta, announced charges against 21 suspects and the dismantling of a large‑scale hospice fraud scheme that allegedly stole $267 million from the state’s Medi‑Cal program.

The investigation, known as Operation Skip Trace, resulted in the arrest of five people after searches of 10 locations in Southern California. In addition, two handguns and over $757,000 in cash were seized. 

DOJ filed three criminal complaints charging 21 defendants with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, money laundering, and identity theft. Prosecutors also added aggravated white‑collar crime and aggravated money‑laundering enhancements.

“This isn’t a political game for us. This is about protecting taxpayer dollars, protecting the programs that sick and vulnerable Californians rely on, and protecting our state,” Bonta said in a statement. “Over the life of this fraud scheme, not a single legitimate hospice service was ever provided, yet millions were billed in a brazen, calculated scheme that exploited the Medi-Cal system. This wasn’t a mistake or a loophole; it was deliberate fraud.”

The California Department of Justice launched the investigation after receiving a credible fraud allegation from the Department of Health Care Services.

According to investigators, the suspects purchased personal information for non‑California residents on the dark web and used those stolen identities to enroll individuals in Medi‑Cal through Covered California.

Authorities say 14 hospice companies were then purchased using straw owners, and billers submitted claims for hospice services that were never provided. The fraudulent billing totaled approximately $267 million.

During Bonta’s tenure, the DOJ conducted 294 hospice‑related investigations, filed 119 criminal cases, and secured 51 convictions tied to hospice fraud.

State officials urged families to watch for warning signs.

• The patient isn’t receiving regular visits from nurses, aides or caregivers.
• Medication, equipment or other promised services are missing.
• Scheduled visits are frequently missed or occur at unusual or inconsistent times.
• The hospice team rarely checks in or is difficult to reach.
• The patient does not appear to have a life‑limiting illness.
• The patient can still perform most daily activities without major changes.
• There is no clear diagnosis explaining why hospice was recommended.
• The patient or family never received a clear explanation that hospice is end‑of‑life care.
• Hospice services began without a referral or explanation from the patient’s regular doctor.
• Someone offered gift cards, groceries or cash in exchange for signing up.
• The offer came from someone unfamiliar or seemed “too good to be true.”
• The patient has remained in hospice longer than six months with no updates or discussion.
• There is no clear care plan or communication about next steps.
• Staff appear rushed, unprofessional or poorly trained.
• Bills or Medi‑Cal statements do not match the care being provided.
• The patient or family feels pressured to stay enrolled.

How to protect yourself from hospice fraud

• Know the purpose: Hospice is intended for patients with terminal illnesses nearing end of life.
• Consult your doctor: Always speak with the patient’s regular physician before agreeing to hospice care.
• Watch for red flags: Be cautious of services offered without a referral or providers offering incentives.
• Ask questions: Legitimate hospice agencies will clearly explain services, billing and care plans.
• Verify providers: Use licensed, accredited hospice agencies and review their credentials.
• Understand your benefits: Know what Medi‑Cal or insurance covers to help spot false charges.
• Keep records: Document all care and compare it with insurance statements.
• Report concerns: If something feels wrong, report it immediately.

How to report suspected hospice fraud

• Online: https://oag.ca.gov/dmfea/reporting
• Phone: DOJ Division of Medi‑Cal Fraud & Elder Abuse Complaint Line, (800) 722‑0432
• Mail: California Department of Justice Division of Medi‑Cal Fraud & Elder Abuse P.O. Box 944255 Sacramento, CA 94244‑2550 

Full Article & Source:
California officials dismantle $267M hospice fraud network, 21 suspects charged

Nekoosa woman gets 8 years probation for theft from elderly AZ woman

Wood County Circuit Judge Timothy Gebert also ordered Janice Christiansen to pay $82,438 restitution after stealing from an 82-year-old Tucson, Arizona, woman.

by Karen Madden

Key Points

• A 65-year-old Nekoosa woman was sentenced to eight years of probation for stealing more than $59,000 from an elderly Arizona woman.
• The woman, who had power of attorney, used the funds for personal expenses, including ATM withdrawals at casinos.
• The theft resulted in the 82-year-old victim facing eviction from her assisted-living facility due to unpaid bills.
• As part of her sentence, the woman must pay $82,438 in restitution and is barred from serving as a power of attorney for anyone but her spouse.

WISCONSIN RAPIDS − A 65-year-old Nekoosa woman was sentenced April 10 to eight years of probation and must pay $82,438 restitution for stealing from an elderly Arizona woman's account.

Janice A. Christiansen pleaded guilty April 10 to theft in a business setting. Wood County Circuit Judge Timothy Gebert withheld a prison sentence and placed Christiansen on probation. He ordered her to pay $82,438 restitution, with $5,000 to be paid by May 11 and $500 a month to be paid starting June 1. Gebert also ordered Christiansen to undergo any counseling deemed necessary, have no contact with the victim and not to serve as a guardian or power of attorney for anyone other than her spouse.

According to the criminal complaint, on Nov. 10, an investigator from the state of Arizona contacted the Wood County Sheriff's Office and said she was investigating fraudulent spending from an 82-year-old Tucson, Arizona, woman's bank account. The woman has dementia and is in an assisted-living community, the investigator said.

The investigator said Christiansen had been spending money out of the woman's personal account for about two years, dating back to about June 1, 2023. The investigator said a check for $10,500 was written on the account, as well as ATM withdrawals at machines at the Ho-Chunk Casino and White-Tail Crossing in Nekoosa. The total amount was between $20,000 and $30,000.

Officials learned Christiansen had the woman's "power of attorney," according to the complaint. The automatic payments to the woman's assisted-living center had been turned off and a check written to the facility had bounced. Notice of termination of the 82-year-old woman's patient status with the center was given because she was about $32,000 past due, according to the complaint.

Officials chose a random month, May 2024, to look closely at transactions. During the month, they found 17 cash withdrawals all made in Wood County, according to the complaint. No withdrawals were made in Arizona. 

The total amount of Christiansen's withdrawals from the elderly woman's account minus deposits she made from June 25, 2023, to Feb. 3, 2025, was $59,410, according to the complaint.

Christiansen told investigators she and her husband got to know the older woman when the couple was going down to Arizona during the winter for seven years. Christiansen said she and her husband stopped going to Arizona about three years ago. Christiansen said the woman asked her to become her power of attorney, according to the complaint.

Christiansen said she struggled to pay the elderly woman's rent because the woman received $4,000 a month income and rent was about $3,500, according to the complaint. The investigator went over the woman's monthly expenses and income with Christiansen and she agreed there should be a monthly surplus of about $270, according to the complaint.

Christiansen said the facility had increased the rates. She called them several times to try to verify the rent but she couldn't get the information, she said. Christiansen said she became confused about how much the rent was and how much back pay was owed, according to the complaint.

Investigators learned Christiansen had lost $150,000 gambling at a casino. Christiansen said she didn't believe the whole amount she lost came from the older woman's account. When the investigator asked Christiansen how much she thought she had taken from the woman, Christiansen said she didn't know but she thought it might be between $50,000 and $60,000.

Full Article & Source:
Nekoosa woman gets 8 years probation for theft from elderly AZ woman 

Terri Schiavo Guardianship Records to Remain Confidential, Court Rules - State Affairs

BY JIM SAUNDERS

Key Points

1. State appeals court rejects bid to unseal Terri Schiavo records
2. Schiavo died in 2005 after feeding tube removal
3. The court cited a state law keeping guardianship records confidential

Two decades after Pinellas County resident Terri Schiavo died following high-profile legal, political and ethical battles over removing her feeding tube, a state appeals court has rejected an attempt to unseal records about the case.

A three-judge panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal on Wednesday denied the attempt by Schiavo’s brother and mother — Bobby and Mary Schindler — and an advocacy group, the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network.

Schiavo died March 31, 2005, 15 years after she sustained severe brain damage because of a cardiac arrest at age 26. Her husband, Michael Schiavo, sought permission in 1998 to remove her feeding tube, drawing fierce opposition from her brother and parents.

The case drew national attention and sparked lengthy legal fights and debates in the Florida Legislature and Congress, with Gov. Jeb Bush helping lead efforts to prevent the removal of the feeding tube. Courts allowed the removal, ultimately resulting in Terri Schiavo’s death.

Wednesday’s opinion rejected an attempt by the Schindlers and the advocacy group to open records in a guardianship case. Michael Schiavo was his wife’s guardian after her incapacitation.

The opinion said Bobby Schindler and the group sought to intervene in the long-closed case as a step toward opening the records. It said Mary Schindler did not need to intervene because she had been a party to the case. But it upheld a circuit judge’s decision denying their requests.

In part, the opinion cited a state law aimed at keeping guardianship records confidential. Chief Judge Matthew Lucas wrote that the “fact that Ms. Schiavo passed away many years ago” did not “diminish the importance of the confidentiality the legislature afforded her guardianship records.”

“Finally, and perhaps most glaringly, none of the appellants [the Schindlers and the group] have ever explained why they waited nearly two decades after Ms. Schiavo’s death before filing a motion to unseal her guardianship records,” the opinion, joined by Judges Stevan Northcutt and Craig Villanti, said. “Their failure to address that pertinent question would seem fatal to their argument that good cause justified unsealing these confidential documents.”

Similarly, the opinion said Bobby Schindler and the group did not provide adequate reasons for intervening, saying their only justification “is that they wish to see what is in the sealed guardianship records so that they can, perhaps, use whatever they might find in their public advocacy. We agree with the circuit court that that is an insufficient basis to permit intervention in a case that ended more than twenty years ago.”

In a January news release on the group’s website, Bobby Schindler said the appeal was “about transparency, constitutional rights, and the pursuit of truth.”

“These documents may contain information that could alter the historical understanding of Terri’s case,” he said in a prepared statement. “There is no valid justification for continued secrecy after two decades.”

Bobby Schindler is president of the group, which says on its website that it has “advocated for and assisted thousands of medically vulnerable patients and families” since its founding in 2005.

Full Article & Source:
Terri Schiavo Guardianship Records to Remain Confidential, Court Rules - State Affairs

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Terri Schiavo