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Jasper man indicted months after arrest in alleged elderly assault case
Tuesday, July 28, 2026
AI voice calls and fixed incomes put older adults at risk for financial scams, researchers say
Florida State University researchers say education is key to stopping financial exploitation of older Americans
By Caresse Jackman
(InvestigateTV) — Financial scams targeting older adults are evolving, and researchers say the combination of traditional fraud tactics and new technology — including AI-generated voice calls — is making them harder to detect.
Julie Brancale, an assistant professor at Florida State University, and Dean Thomas Blomberg study the causes and consequences of financial exploitation against older adults.
“We try to take all of our research and translate that into policy and practice recommendations that can make a meaningful difference and try to help stop this growing social problem,” Brancale said.
Brancale said fraudsters often look for specific vulnerabilities among older adults.
“Older adults, they have accumulated wealth throughout their life,” Brancale said. “A lot of them are retiring and living off of a fixed income. And couple that with just age-related changes that older adults are experiencing — an increase in the frequency of health conditions, perhaps a mild cognitive decline.”
Blomberg said the rise of artificial intelligence has added new dimensions to an already persistent problem.
“AI is introducing all these new dimensions,” he said. “And it’s a constant barrage and many feel overwhelmed and a level of helplessness.”
Blomberg added education is one of the most important tools for combating financial fraud against older adults.
“I think one of the biggest things that we are doing and trying to do is education,” Blomberg said. “And if you talk to victims, they will tell you, we need more education.”
Blomberg and Brancale said it is also important to teach students about elder abuse and financial fraud at the higher education level.
“We want our graduates to be change makers, positive change makers,” Blomberg said. “And so they’ve got to be scientifically trained, but they also have to have the knowledge on how to implement and how to work with people to make the world a better place.”
Experts say one of the main red flags in financial scams is urgency. If someone demands that money be sent immediately, experts recommend stopping, slowing down and speaking with a trusted person before taking any action.
Full Article & Source:
AI voice calls and fixed incomes put older adults at risk for financial scams, researchers say
Monday, July 27, 2026
How a trusted funeral director stole $1.1 million from Michigan’s most vulnerable residents
By Gus Burns
BAD AXE, MI—Terry Kaufman was a trusted small-town funeral director who helped families prepare for the inevitable.
That trust came at a steep cost.
For years, Kaufman accepted money for prepaid funerals that families believed would ensure their loved ones were buried with dignity and spare relatives from future financial hardship. Instead, authorities say, he kept much of the money for himself, fueling a scheme that ultimately victimized 204 people and cost more than $1 million.
The case rattled Michigan’s Thumb region and exposed vulnerabilities in a system designed to protect some of society’s most vulnerable residents. It also prompted warnings from the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, renewed scrutiny of prepaid funeral arrangements and reviews of procedures used by public guardians around the state.
Behind the dollar figures were real people trying to settle their affairs, care for aging parents or ensure a loved one would be buried when the time came.
“There were many people who trusted him,” said Huron County Public Guardian Jacilyn Braun. “He was an upstanding member of the community, and he abused his respect from the people and his respect from our office.”
Kaufman helped establish Kaufman and Company Funeral Home in 1994 and sold his remaining ownership stake in 2011, though he continued working there as an employee.
‘TWO-FACED’
Grace Baker, 87, lives with dementia in a nursing home in Bad Axe, a small town of 3,000 and the Huron County seat.
After paying for her care, she has about $60 a month left for personal expenses. Her favorite pastime is looking through old family photographs, her daughter, Traci Baker, said.
One of Grace Baker’s few remaining assets was a $2,150 prepaid funeral plan.
The policy had been purchased with her money through the Huron County Public Guardian’s Office and arranged through Kaufman.
Prepaid funeral arrangements are designed to lock in costs and protect families from financial uncertainty after a death. They are typically funded through escrow accounts or specialized insurance policies.
Kaufman sold both.
But Grace Baker’s funeral plan never existed.
The money was gone.
And she wasn’t alone.
Kaufman is now serving a sentence of at least seven years in prison after pleading no contest to felony charges stemming from a decade-long scheme that prosecutors said victimized 204 people, including 55 wards under Huron County guardianships.
“He was very kind to people,” said Larry Brown, a former coworker. “And was two-faced about that, too.”
An MLive review of probate court files, licensing complaints, more than 100 pages of attorney general records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and interviews with victims, officials and attorneys found that many of Kaufman’s victims were elderly residents whose finances were supposed to be protected through guardianship arrangements.
EXPOSED
The fraud began to unravel in March 2025 when a Huron County ward died and was taken to Champagne Funeral Chapel in Pigeon at the direction of family members.
Relatives produced records showing the Huron County Public Guardian had paid Kaufman $4,500 for the deceased ward’s funeral.
By law, the money should have been deposited into an approved escrow account or used to purchase a valid preneed insurance policy that could be transferred to another funeral home.
When officials tried to locate the funds, they discovered they did not exist.
A complaint was filed with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, triggering an investigation that uncovered a broader pattern.
State regulators found Kaufman received $218,019.98 from the Huron County Public Guardian’s Office on behalf of wards but failed to properly deposit the money or create legitimate insurance policies.
The findings prompted a criminal investigation by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office in June 2025.
Investigators found no evidence that Braun’s office or its employees conspired with Kaufman.
But the case exposed a critical oversight problem.
Braun acknowledged her office relied largely on documentation provided by Kaufman and did not independently verify that prepaid funds had been placed into escrow accounts or that insurance policies had actually been issued.
The lack of verification allowed the scheme to continue undetected for years.
HOW IT WORKED
According to probate court records reviewed by MLive, Kaufman sometimes represented himself as an agent for Forethought Insurance, a subsidiary of Global Atlantic Financial Group that sells preneed insurance products.
Contracts listed items such as burials, vaults, headstones and other funeral services. Some customers added services over time, increasing the value of their plans.
On paper, everything appeared legitimate.
In reality, investigators found many policies were never established or properly funded.
Some records also raised questions about signatures. In several cases, wards appeared to have personally signed contracts despite lacking the legal authority to do so.
“I don’t really know,” Braun said when asked how those signatures ended up on documents. “Typically, guardians would sign.”
Kaufman’s former defense attorney, Elizabeth Weisenbach, said the scheme functioned much like a Ponzi operation.
Money from new customers was used to satisfy obligations owed to older customers, creating the appearance that prepaid arrangements were working as intended.
“People would come in to do a pre-arrangement and he was using part of their money to pay somebody else’s funeral,” Brown said.
Some funerals were paid for, despite not being backed by escrow accounts or insurance policies.
Weisenbach said such schemes often begin with relatively small financial shortcuts.
“He’d take that money, pay the light bill and pay staff and write himself a payroll check,” she said. “They start small and then it just snowballs.”
The attorney general’s office alleged Kaufman embezzled funds for his own benefit over roughly a decade.
Coworkers and others familiar with the case said he frequently purchased lottery scratch-off tickets, though authorities did not publicly tie the thefts to gambling. The criminal case focused on embezzlement and funeral contract violations.
WORD SPREADS
As news of the investigation spread, customers throughout Huron County began wondering whether their own prepaid funeral plans existed.
Many learned they did not.
Victims ultimately numbered 204, including nearly 150 private customers who were not under guardianships or conservatorships.
Among them was Brown.
After Kaufman’s arrest, Brown contacted an insurance company to verify a $9,995 prepaid funeral policy he had purchased in 2019.
What he learned stunned him.
“They informed me that I was deceased,” Brown wrote in a complaint. “Which, I am still alive.”
According to Brown, records showed a death claim had been submitted using forged paperwork bearing his wife’s signature. A settlement check was then issued and cashed.
Brown later discovered similar issues involving additional family members.
One complaint after another filed with the attorney general told similar stories: elderly customers paid thousands of dollars believing their funeral expenses had been secured, only to discover the money was gone.
Attorney General records showed average losses exceeded $5,400 per victim.
CHARGED
In November 2025, the Attorney General’s Office charged Kaufman with embezzlement involving county wards.
He later pleaded no contest to 39 felony counts, including funeral contract conversion, embezzlement and conducting a criminal enterprise.
A no-contest plea does not admit guilt but acknowledges that sufficient evidence exists for conviction.
A judge ordered Kaufman to pay approximately $1.1 million in restitution.
Victims, however, may never recover most of the money.
Attorney General spokesman Danny Wimmer said there are no state compensation funds available for victims of this type of financial crime.
While some people may be able to pursue reimbursement through insurance companies Kaufman claimed to represent, officials cautioned that significant recovery is unlikely.
BROADER QUESTIONS
The case has sparked reviews of prepaid funeral practices both locally and around Michigan.
Following the criminal case, Braun said her office began verifying the existence of prepaid funeral funds and auditing existing contracts.
Other counties employ stricter verification practices. Midland County Public Guardian Steve Wixson said his office conducts annual audits and maintains both contract records and independently issued policy documentation.
Wimmer said the Attorney General’s Office has uncovered several prepaid funeral embezzlement cases through the years and is working more closely with state regulators to identify and prosecute offenders.
He advised guardians, family members and consumers to independently verify that prepaid funeral money has been deposited into escrow accounts or used to purchase legitimate insurance policies. State law requires funeral homes to transfer prepaid funds into approved escrow accounts within 30 days of receiving them.
Michigan Funeral Directors Association Executive Director Phil Douma said additional reforms should be considered, including requiring prepaid funds to be sent directly to escrow agents rather than passing through funeral home accounts.
The Attorney General’s Elder Abuse Task Force has also identified stronger oversight of public and private guardians as a legislative priority.
Meanwhile, civil litigation continues. Lawsuits filed by Kaufman’s former funeral home and other victims allege hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional losses.
For Traci Baker, however, the consequences remain deeply personal.
Her mother believed her funeral plans were in place.
Now they are not.
“Obviously they didn’t do a very good job protecting my mother’s money because it’s gone,” Baker said. “If she died tomorrow, I don’t have the money to do anything.”
Braun said she hopes the scandal ultimately encourages vigilance rather than discouraging people from planning ahead.
“Mr. Kaufman broke a lot of trust within this community,” she said. “I hope going forward those in our community still consider planning for their future.”
Full Article & Source:
How a trusted funeral director stole $1.1 million from Michigan’s most vulnerable residents
Resources to combat romance scams
Romance scams flourish in silence.
In 2025, Americans age 60 or older reported losing $584 million to romance scams – a 50% increase from losses reported the previous year, according to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. Authorities believe the loss figure is probably considerably higher, because many scams go unreported by victims who are embarrassed to ask for help. This growing exploitation of our older population is infuriating. No one should lose his or her life savings to someone pretending to care about them. That’s why the Ohio Attorney General’s Office has gone on the offensive to combat these crimes.
The resources provided here, including the video at right in which the attorney general explains our Romance Impostor Scams Forensic Initiative, are yours to use and share in whatever way works best for your purpose.
Together, we can keep Ohioans safe.
Sunday, July 26, 2026
Sen. Irwin Celebrates Signing of Bills to Protect Property Rights of Vulnerable Individuals
LANSING, Mich. (July 23, 2026) — Today, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed Senate Bills 585–586 into law, bipartisan legislation to strengthen and protect the rights of individuals placed in guardianships during property or real estate sales. Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor), sponsor of Senate Bill 585, has issued the following statement in response:
“Vulnerable adults placed into guardianship deserve to have their rights protected. Once signed into law, my bill requires a professional appraisal before the sale of real estate owned by an adult placed in guardianship. This measure provides accountability and clarity, protecting the assets of people placed under guardianship.”
This legislation protects the rights of individuals placed in guardianships by requiring a court to find that a change of residence is in the best interest of the person under guardianship and mandating professional appraisals be made before any real estate is sold.
Source:
Sen. Irwin Celebrates Signing of Bills to Protect Property Rights of Vulnerable Individuals
Woman accused of exploiting ailing elderly man at West Palm Beach assisted living facility
by Malcolm Shields
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Port St. Lucie woman is facing another allegation of defrauding an elderly person.
According to Palm Beach County court records, Megan E. Bernat, 46, was arrested on Wednesday, July 22, on exploitation of elderly and money laundering transactions charges.
Bernat was arrested on Sept. 3, 2025, on charges of personal identity fraud, exploitation of an elderly person and money laundering transactions of a 73-year-old woman in West Palm Beach.
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| Megan Elizabeth Bernat |
During the West Palm Beach Police Department’s investigation into the 2025 case, it was discovered that another bank account was used to make more than $30,000 worth of payments to Bernat’s credit card.
The account was frozen by the bank, which prevented the account’s use.
Detectives determined the frozen account belonged to a 92-year-old man who lived at the MorseLife assisted living facility in West Palm Beach along with the first victim.
Bernat was a social worker at the living facility, and she was assigned as the second victim's full-time care manager beginning on Dec. 30, 2021.
She assisted with the second victim's financial records.
During that time, the second victim suffered from 18 medical problems including dementia and needed help with routine tasks like laundry, getting dressed and going to the restroom.
According to the arrest report, the second victim died on March 15, 2024, about two weeks after testing positive for COVID-19.
Detectives determined that the second victim’s bank account was used 30 times to make mobile payments to a credit card account connected to Bernat.
An investigation also revealed Bernat’s credit card was part of 30 transactions totaling $31,295.28 between May 11, 2023, and April 22, 2024.
Seven of the 30 transactions occurred while the second victim was in hospice, including six transactions after he died on March 15, 2024.
During a Thursday, July 23 court hearing, a judge ordered Bernat to serve in-house arrest, wear a GPS monitor with bail set at $30,000.
Full Article & Source:
Woman accused of exploiting ailing elderly man at West Palm Beach assisted living facility
Saturday, July 25, 2026
Johnson’s guardianship reform signed
July 23, 2026
“This reform is the result of hearing dozens of heartbreaking stories from families who were forced to endure a loved one being removed from their home — without a hearing or notice,” said Johnson, R-Holly. “Compounding the ordeal, the loved one’s home is often sold for well below market value, and families have no voice or recourse.
“With the governor’s signature, these new protections will ensure the best interests of our most vulnerable residents — not the convenience of their guardians — will drive important decisions like moving someone out of their home and selling their house.”
Johnson’s measure, Senate Bill 586, ensures that a protected individual’s living arrangements are truly in their best interest. Under the new law, a guardian will not be allowed to change an incapacitated person’s residence without court approval after demonstrating the move is necessary and appropriate for the individual’s needs.
The governor also signed SB 585, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Irwin, to require a licensed appraiser to appraise the value of a protected person’s home before any sale of that property.
“Vulnerable adults placed into guardianship deserve to have their rights protected,” said Irwin, D-Ann Arbor. “Now signed into law, my bill requires a professional appraisal before the sale of real estate owned by an adult placed in guardianship. This measure provides accountability and clarity, protecting the assets of people placed under guardianship.”
Johnson said, “This was a bipartisan effort to protect those who cannot protect themselves by adding more meaningful accountability and oversight to our guardianship system, and I want to thank Senator Irwin for his teamwork on this critical issue.”
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Defamation trial begins over Netflix docuseries episode tied to San Antonio millionaire's guardianship case
SAN ANTONIO — A Bexar County jury this week is hearing defamation claims centered on a Netflix documentary episode about an alleged guardianship abuse case involving a wealthy San Antonio businessman.
The case stems from "Guardians Inc.," an episode of the Netflix documentary series "Dirty Money," which examined allegations of financial exploitation in guardianship cases. The episode is no longer available on the streaming service after the lawsuit was filed in 2021.
Tonya Barina sued Netflix and several other defendants, alleging the episode falsely portrayed her role as guardian for her great-uncle, Charlie Thrash. That lawsuit states her reputation was "destroyed" and that she was experiencing "daily and nearly hourly hated, disgrace, contempt and ridicule."
According to court filings, Barina was appointed guardian of Thrash and his estate after the 88-year-old San Antonio businessman, who collected $3 million in assets while operating an auto repair business, developed Alzheimer's disease and other ailments.
Barina's lawsuit was filed in March 2021 by Austin-based attorney Carl J. Kolb. It alleges the documentary falsely suggested Barina sought to exploit her position for financial gain, juxtaposing soundbites about how "guardianship abuse is the crime of the 21st century" to paint her as a criminal.
Instead, the lawsuit accuses several defendants of isolating Thrash and contributing to the decline of his business. Co-defendant Laura A. Martinez received power of attorney from Thrash in 2016, but Adult Protective Services believed it was "signed under undue influence," the suit states.
Jo Ann Rivera is a close family friend of Thrash's and was featured in "Guardians Inc.," along with Martinez and others, and said she was surprised by the lawsuit.
"I don't believe there is any merit to her claim at all," Rivera told KENS 5. "She put herself in the documentary and then was unhappy with how she was viewed."
Phillip Ross, Thrash's one-time attorney and another co-defendant, said the legal proceedings of the last several years forced him to retire early.
"I feel like the plaintiffs are giving things their best shot," Ross said. "I still feel confident... everything we said in the context of the (Netflix) interviews was clearly true."
An amended petition nearly 50 pages long includes what are essentially verbatim excerpts from "Guardians Inc." that Barina argues left out important context and created a misleading narrative. The suit also claims her attorney corresponded with producers of the episode a year before it aired, but the material "was intentionally disregarded and omitted from the episode because it would prove that plaintiff was guilty of no abuse, exploitation or 'crime.'"
While her perspective appears in "Guardians Inc.," the suit states it was "in no way a fair, true and impartial account" of the events.
Rivera said it was an emotionally charged case but stands firm that nothing said on the documentary rises to the level of defamation.
"The fact is we are all public figures and negative comments, and, at times, ugly remarks, are things we have to live with," she said. "Tonya put herself in the boiling pot."
"I know reputation is a very fragile thing," Ross added.
Both Ross and Kolb told KENS 5 he expects the trial to continue into the middle of next week at least.
Full Article & Source:
Defamation trial begins over Netflix docuseries episode tied to San Antonio millionaire's guardianship case
Friday, July 24, 2026
Latta woman accused of stealing $34,000 from Florence nursing home resident while acting as their conservator
by: Dennis Bright
FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW) — A 64-year-old Dillon County woman is accused of stealing more than $34,000 from a Florence nursing home resident while acting as their conservator and power of attorney, according to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
Delores Ann Edge of Latta is accused of one count of exploitation of a vulnerable adult and one count of breach of trust with fraudulent intent, with a value of $10,000 or more. She was booked into the Florence County Detention Center on Wednesday.
“Investigators determined that Edge, while acting as the victim’s conservator and power of attorney, knowingly and willfully engaged in improper, unlawful, and unauthorized use of the victim’s assets and property,” the attorney general’s office said in a news release. “The investigation further established that Edge expended approximately $34,071.98 of the victim’s funds for her own personal benefit without lawful authority or permission to do so.”
The alleged exploitation occurred between April 23, 2024, and Feb. 6, the attorney general’s office said. At the time, the victim was a resident at Veterans Village Nursing Home in Florence.
The attorney general’s Vulnerable Adults and Medicaid Provider Fraud unit, known as VAMPF, investigated the case along with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office. The Dillon County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the arrest of Edge.
If convicted, Edge faces up to five years in prison and a fine of not more than $5,000, or both, for the exploitation charge, the attorney general’s office said. The breach of trust charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison or a fine at the discretion of the court.
Full Article & Source:
Latta woman accused of stealing $34,000 from Florence nursing home resident while acting as their conservator
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