A King City woman convicted of taking her elderly mother's money was sentenced Tuesday in Clackamas County Circuit Court to 16 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $441,000 in restitution.
Gayla Ross, 56, was convicted last month of aggravated theft and several counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment for paying personal debts and buying an $870,000 luxury home with her mother's money. Ross held power of attorney for her 87-year-old mother, Clara Philpot, who has Alzheimer's disease.
Ross engineered real estate deals that left Philpot deeply in dept and gave Ross and her husband, Jeff, half interest in the new house, which has been lost to foreclosure.
Philpot moved back to the now heavily mortgaged Molalla home she and her late husband purchased more than 40 years ago.
Philpot's monthly bills exceed her income by $2,900, and the Molalla home also faces foreclosure.
About 30 supporters of the Rosses attended the sentencing. The Rosses contended they were using Philpot's money to provide her comfortable, loving care and made major financial decisions with her approval.
Circuit Judge Kathie F. Steele said the facts showed the Rosses -- despite their professed love for Philpot -- acted to benefit themselves. "It wasn't your money," Steele said.
Full Article and Source:
King City Woman Gets Prison Time for Bilking Elderly Mother
See also:
Stealing From Mom and Dad in Oregon
15 comments:
Luxury home? She won't like her prison home!
Family who takes advantage of their own should receive stiff penalties.
16 months in prison and restitution seems just about right with me.
On the other hand, we have to keep in mind when we see criminal family, that guardians and conservators do the same thing day in and day out and no one's watching them because the courts are sanctioning their actions.
Good news to hear that Gayla Ross could not fool the judge; she will have to do time in non-luxury conditions. This sentence will give her the golden opportunity to reflect and realize what she did and was it worth it?
I hope the Department of Corrections will have strong measures of recourse if the offender does not repay the restitution on schedule as ordered by the court.
I hope there will be a way to keep track of this case to find out if the restitution order is honored - only time will tell.
I hope members of the Ross/Philpot family find this story and tell us their side of things.
Using Clara Philpot's money to make her comfortable is the right thing to do. It's her money and it should be used for her every need and want.
But, luxury home? Now, that's too far. Even if they didn't mean Philpot financial harm, they should have had more common sense.
Yes, Sue, I was wondering the same thing about who's going to keep track and make sure Gayla Ross pays the resitution? And how long does she have to pay it?
And if she just doesn't pay, then what happens to her, if anything?
I just hate it each and every time a story involving family taking advantage of their own.
The result of family theft is usually guardianship and that's when the real thieves come out to "play".
I wonder what Ross' fellow inmates will think of her.
We know inmates dislike rapists and child abusers, for instance.
How will they feel about someone who took advantage of her own mother?
Anon wrote: "I wonder what Ross' fellow inmates will think of her.
We know inmates dislike rapists and child abusers, for instance.
How will they feel about someone who took advantage of her own mother?"
Ross will need to get on this fast, she will twist the facts and fabricate stories of the case so it will look like it is she, Ross, who is the victim here, she will convince others it was she who is the one who was wrongfully persecuted and prosecuted and sentenced. Soon, the inmates will be sobbing, feeling sorry for her, soon they will be her supporters, her cheer leaders.
Yes, the luxury home was a red flag, a big step over the line of need vs greed.
There is WAY more to this story than what is reported in this one sided article. Know your facts before you judge. And if you trust any sort of media to make you privy to the complete story, then you are sadly naïve. Armchair quarterbacks are the worst.
Was time deserved? Maybe. Will it help? Probably. Is this black and white? Absolutely not...
I pray none of you are ever subjected to a situation in which your intentions are questioned by the uninvolved world with no voice on your behalf. And if for some reason you are, remember your hasty and uninformed comments left on this post.
To Know More than You:
We are not judging this case, we are commenting, stating our thoughts on the conviction of the offender and the sentence.
If you believe you know more than what this reporter wrote, please share with us what you know and how you know it.
Dear Know-More-Than-You,
Thank you for the reminder. Articles frequency get the story mixed up. I am sure there is much more to this story that was told.
You could clear up the discrepencies on this Blog if you're inclined to.
We are open to learn anything you'd like to tell us on this case. In fact one of the comments left here is that the person wanted the family to find this story and tell us the other side.
No need to air dirty laundry or win stranger's approval. Family business is family business. However, please remeber that as in any case, slivers of factual evidence without supporting information regarding timeline or circumstances can put anyone in a good or bad light.
Great people are often undeservingly misjudged and questionable people often undeservingly become heros. In reality, most everyone falls somewhere in the middle and deserves some kind of punishment....and some kind of grace.
There are certainly two sides to every story but in this case, what seems to convict Gayla Ross is that she purchased a luxury home with the money.
Not a home but a luxury home.
Would you speak to that KnowMoreThanYou?
Just thinking, it seems to be the only prosecution in the Oregon cases listed. Lack of law enforcement is at the base all of the Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation statistics,including sheister attorney's who are able to work in unison with the judicial system. If it is not a relative, it is somebody just as devastating.
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