The pair pocketed the $235,000 from the house sale and cleaned out the elderly woman's bank accounts and savings, sharing the money among themselves and family members, police and prosecutors say. They also arranged and pre-paid for her funeral.
However, Evelyn Roth made an amazing recovery and had no idea what her relatives were up to.
Now the two suspects, Roth's cousin Virginia Ann Kuehn, 66, and her niece Kathleen Sue Jingling, 53, face a 35-count felony indictment charging them with first-degree criminal mistreatment, aggravated theft and first-degree theft. They've pleaded not guilty.
Roth, a sprightly white-haired woman with a ready laugh and remarkable memory, showed up at Multnomah County Circuit Court for her relatives' arraignment this week. Portland Officer Deanna Wesson, who investigates elder abuse, wheeled Roth up to the judge so she could explain what happened.
"They robbed me blind," Roth said. "Everything was for money, just to get money, money, money. That's not the way it should be."
Roth said she pursued criminal charges because she's lost her savings and all her possessions to relatives who betrayed her trust. "I think they need to be taught a lesson. ... I feel like I helped raise Virginia. That's why it hurts so bad."
Full Article and Source:
Dying Woman Recovers, Says Relatives “Robbed Me Blind”
9 comments:
It's so upsetting to see stories like this. These kind of thiefs, Virginia Ann Kuehn and Kathleen Sue Jingling, hurt more than Evelyn Roth. These thiefs add to the mis-perception that families steal from each other and must be "protected" by guardianship.
This is a truly sad story.
Aha, the victim Evelyn Roth fooled everybody, she did not die, she is talking and the perps have a living talking victim as witness to their actions!
This is the best part of the story and I look forward to reading future articles.
The defendants will be struggling to come up with a con-job a sob story, filled with lies and fabrications that they will try to feed to their defense lawyers to try to defend what they did all in the name of greed, not need.
I can't imagine how awful it must feel to find in your advanced years that your relatives are waiting on your death to get their inheritance --- or they just couldn't wait so they take it now.
Betrayal is the worst thing of all.
I hope Evelyn Roth has enough strength to follow this thru to justice.
I am sorry for what you're going through, Mrs. Roth.
Not to minimize what has happened to you, but if you were under guardianship when your greedy relatives decided to rip you off, you would have no chance at all, because guardianship strips a person of all their civil rights and liberties - including the right to complain.
At least there will eventually be accountablility in your case, but nothing can make this right.
The whole family enjoyed Evelyn Roth's assets?
And nobody had an inkling of guilt?
Shame on every one of them.
Abuses of powers of attorney often open the door to guardianship under the guise of "protection".
I feel so bad for Evelyn Roth. Her relatives aren't worthy of her.
Look at the pain on this poor woman's face. It's absolutely heartbreaking.
I actually know Ms. Jingling, and it is not like her to "rob" anyone. Did she "jump the gun" by pre-planning everything? Yes, but think of it this way...you've been assured that the elderly lady is probably going to die within a few weeks. You are a very busy person, so you take the option to start taking care of things now. You sell the house (even if Roth did show some improvement, she should be in assisted living) and everything in it. People do that all the time when they're moving the elderly people to facilities. The elderly often do get very angry, but it's not safe for them to live alone anymore. And, yeah, you get a better deal on the funeral when you don't wait until the last minute (much like a wedding). Kuehn & Jingling's worst mistake through this whole thing was pocketing any of the money prior to the actual "impending" death.
These situations are very difficult for all involved parties. I am very sorry for Roth's predicament, but retaliating by sending her family to jail when she knows they wouldn't do sell her stuff out of spite seems extreme.
"The pair pocketed the $235,000 from the house sale and cleaned out the elderly woman's bank accounts and savings, sharing the money among themselves and family members, police and prosecutors say."
The assets should have been kept safe; placed in an account for Evelyn Roth. It is inappropriate that they were treating her like she was already deceased; they should not be splitting up the loot and that is their mistake - they are crooks and they got caught.
Now, they have to do the time.
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