The Office of Attorney General Lori Swanson has filed a criminal complaint in Rice County District Court charging a Dakota County woman, Connie Ruth Rott, with nine felony counts of theft by swindle and five felony counts of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult for diverting over $1.1 million held in trust for the benefit of Rott’s elderly mother, D.S.
In 2000, D.S. placed real estate she owned in Northfield, Minnesota that she originally farmed with her late husband into a revocable trust to be used for her care, comfort, support, and maintenance, naming her daughter Rott as Trustee. D.S. also signed a durable power of attorney naming Rott as her attorney-in-fact, and in 2003, Rott was named D.S.’s legal guardian. In 2004, D.S. was admitted to the dementia unit of the Three Links Care Center, a Northfield nursing home. D.S. requires total assistance with activities of daily living. Rott agreed to make timely payments to Three Links using D.S.’s income and assets.
The complaint alleges that, between 2004 and 2007, Rott sold three pieces of the real estate D.S. placed into trust, for a net amount of over $1.3 million, and then diverted over $1.1 million in proceeds from the sale of the real estate to her own benefit or for the benefit of persons other than D.S. For example, the complaint alleges that disbursements from the trust included, among other things:
· $59,056 for Rott’s mortgage and property taxes
· $754 on alcohol
· $47,936 in ATM withdrawals/cash
· $157,887 payable to third persons, including Rott’s children
· Thousands of dollars in travel costs
· Thousands of dollars in court fees, criminal defense attorney costs, and other related legal expenses for Rott’s son, who was convicted of first degree manufacture of methamphetamine
· $8,685 in expenses for Rott’s family snow plowing and yard service
In October, 2007, Rott stopped issuing payments on D.S.’s behalf for the care provided to her at the Three Links Care Center nursing home. By June, 2008 D.S.’s account at Three Links was eight months past due and, because of the non-payment, the nursing home issued a notice of intent to discharge D.S. in June, 2008. That same month, Rott told the nursing home she planned to remove her mother from the facility.
An emergency guardianship and conservator proceeding was then filed by Rice County Adult Protective Services, and on June 27, 2008 the court granted an emergency guardianship and conservatorship.
D.S.’s court-appointed emergency guardian applied for a “hardship waiver” so as to obtain Medical Assistance benefits to pay for D.S.’s health care at Three Links. As a result, the taxpayer-financed medical assistance program is now paying approximately $4,200 per month for D.S.’s care.
The case is being prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Division.
Full Article and Source:
Attorney General charges woman with felony theft
More information:
Dakota Co. woman accused of stealing $1.1M from mom
Daughter accused of stealing more than $1.1M from ailing mother
Lakeville woman charged with swindling her mother
Document: Connie Ruth Rott criminal complaint
In 2000, D.S. placed real estate she owned in Northfield, Minnesota that she originally farmed with her late husband into a revocable trust to be used for her care, comfort, support, and maintenance, naming her daughter Rott as Trustee. D.S. also signed a durable power of attorney naming Rott as her attorney-in-fact, and in 2003, Rott was named D.S.’s legal guardian. In 2004, D.S. was admitted to the dementia unit of the Three Links Care Center, a Northfield nursing home. D.S. requires total assistance with activities of daily living. Rott agreed to make timely payments to Three Links using D.S.’s income and assets.
The complaint alleges that, between 2004 and 2007, Rott sold three pieces of the real estate D.S. placed into trust, for a net amount of over $1.3 million, and then diverted over $1.1 million in proceeds from the sale of the real estate to her own benefit or for the benefit of persons other than D.S. For example, the complaint alleges that disbursements from the trust included, among other things:
· $59,056 for Rott’s mortgage and property taxes
· $754 on alcohol
· $47,936 in ATM withdrawals/cash
· $157,887 payable to third persons, including Rott’s children
· Thousands of dollars in travel costs
· Thousands of dollars in court fees, criminal defense attorney costs, and other related legal expenses for Rott’s son, who was convicted of first degree manufacture of methamphetamine
· $8,685 in expenses for Rott’s family snow plowing and yard service
In October, 2007, Rott stopped issuing payments on D.S.’s behalf for the care provided to her at the Three Links Care Center nursing home. By June, 2008 D.S.’s account at Three Links was eight months past due and, because of the non-payment, the nursing home issued a notice of intent to discharge D.S. in June, 2008. That same month, Rott told the nursing home she planned to remove her mother from the facility.
An emergency guardianship and conservator proceeding was then filed by Rice County Adult Protective Services, and on June 27, 2008 the court granted an emergency guardianship and conservatorship.
D.S.’s court-appointed emergency guardian applied for a “hardship waiver” so as to obtain Medical Assistance benefits to pay for D.S.’s health care at Three Links. As a result, the taxpayer-financed medical assistance program is now paying approximately $4,200 per month for D.S.’s care.
The case is being prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Division.
Full Article and Source:
Attorney General charges woman with felony theft
More information:
Dakota Co. woman accused of stealing $1.1M from mom
Daughter accused of stealing more than $1.1M from ailing mother
Lakeville woman charged with swindling her mother
Document: Connie Ruth Rott criminal complaint
11 comments:
What Connie Ruth Rott did was unforgiveable. But, she will be held accountable for her evil deeds.
What guardians and attorneys do every day is unforgivable. But, no one holds them accountable.
Right, both Anonymouses!
IDISPICABLE!! How could anyone ever be so cruel to someone so vulnerable who trusted them. I hope she gets all punishment possible!! She is PURE EVIL!
I am pleased to see the AG so agressive against the perpetrator here.
If only guardianship/conservatorship victims received the same consideration...
Shouldn't this have been caught before the nursing home didn't receive payment? Are there no safeguards in the system?
Yes, Rott should rot.
I feel sorry for her Mother - who may not have known her daughter's true lack of character.
Probate system failed miserably to protect the ward - where is the mandatory inventory and accounting?
Wards are thrown as food to the wolves, whether the wolves are a family member or a non-family member court appointed Guardian.
Who is watching the wolf den?
Where is the oversight?
Who is enforcing the laws governing guardianship?
WAKE UP AMERICA this could be YOUR story.
The thing Rott did wrong (in her plan to take advantage of her Mom) was in not paying the nursing home. That cooked her goose.
Had she paid that bill, she'd still be taking advantage of her mom.
So, in this case, we are glad the nursing home balked about the bill.
The state needs to seize all of Rott's assets, throw the crook in prison for the rest of her life.
While in prison Rott must work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week with forced restitutuion to her victim.
Another alarming wake up call that proves the guardianship system is broken, ineffective with everyone sleeping on the job.
Financial predators have no conscience. There are more Rotts out there - watch your back.
Disgusting.
If the perp didn't stiff the nursing home, she would still be embezzling thousands - but the perp got sloppy and greedy.
hey everyone just to let her mom passed away lsast october 2009. while she was in the care of three links facility. i am related in the family
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