An Appleton man hired by Outagamie County to serve as a guardian for people ruled legally incompetent is unable to account for about $500,000 in transactions from clients' accounts, a search warrant affidavit says.Jeffrey M. Schend's company, JMS Guardianship Services, was hired by Outagamie County in 2004 to serve as a guardian for clients who were unable to handle their affairs. Schend, 44, was charged this month in Outagamie County Court with six felony counts of theft and one misdemeanor theft charge.
It's not the first time Schend's financial record-keeping has been questioned.
In January 2010, Shawano County officials won a $4,700 judgment against Schend for mishandling a client's account.
State law requires corporate guardians turn over their accounting records for an annual review. The county's register in probate reviewed Schend's accounting and determined "there wasn't enough information provided to determine whether money in equaled the money out," said Tony Kordus, the attorney for Shawano County. A judge agreed.
Kordus said Schend failed to pay the judgment and officials were able to garnish one of his accounts, but have recovered only $1,000.
Schend remains in jail on a $100,000 cash bond and will return to court June 15 for a hearing to determine whether prosecutors have sufficient evidence to pursue the felony charge.
Full Article and Source:
Jailed Guardian Jeffrey Schend Lost Judgment in Shawano County
See Also:
Jeffrey Schend Revolked from Guardianship Practice
He's likely been doing this for a long time. I wonder how many victims complained and for how long before they were heard.
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