Designed to protect people's assets, the Probate Courts did anything but in several cases assigned to Dinah Turrentine-Sims.A World-Herald examination of police and court records and interviews with judges, attorneys and other conservators showed that several simple fixes could have prevented the staggering losses that Turrentine-Sims is accused of causing.
And, experts say, most of the fixes could be paid for through reasonable fees assessed against the assets of the wards whose estates would be protected.
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine charged Turrentine-Sims in two cases. He said Omaha police are continuing to investigate Turrentine-Sims' actions. So far, misappropriations are suspected in a handful of cases.
Kleine said it's paramount that legislators and judges make swift changes.
“It doesn't take much to figure out that something is very wrong here,” he said. “This whole system was set up to protect the most vulnerable, to protect those who can't protect themselves. It failed.”
Full Article and Source:
Flaws in Nebraska Law to Aid Wards Can be Fixed
See Also:
Guardian Faces Theft Counts
5 comments:
Has the governor supported reform in his state?
...."So far, misappropriations are suspected in a handful of cases."
misappropriations? let's call it what it is - theft by a fiduciary, a conservator should have a much harsher mandatory prison sentence.
How many other cases are there that have past the statutes of limitations for prosecution?
The problem here is the obvious problem - everyone acknowledges flaws in the system, but that's as far as it gets. Rarely does anyone actually "do" something about it.
The judges who monitor these guardianship cases have a responsibility and should be held accountable for what's gone wrong on their watch.
Why do the wards need to fix the problem? How about if people in the system do their jobs?
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