Increasing Penalties

Senator Gretchen Whitmer will be introducing legislation today that will better protect Michigan’s elderly citizens by increasing penalties for abusing or exploiting senior citizens in Michigan. These bills are part of a broader elder abuse prevention legislative package, with more legislation addressing the physical and financial protection of our seniors to be introduced soon.

The initial components of the package being introduced today will:

· Make it a felony to obtain a senior’s signature through fraud, deceit, misrepresentation or coercion. The penalty is 15 years in prison and a fine of $15,000 or three times the value of the money or property obtained, whichever is greater

· Prohibit someone from receiving any benefits from a victim’s estate if they are charged with a related felony count of abuse, neglect or exploitation.

· Add fraudulently obtaining a signature of any person with the intent to cheat and defraud them to the state’s definition of racketeering and strengthening sentencing guidelines accordingly.

· Increase protections for seniors with variable annuity investments and cracks down on financial scams.

Full Press Release and Source:
Whitmer: Elder Abuse Reform Cannot Wait