WI Police: Appleton Man Misspent Disabled Son's Trust Fund

An Appleton man is accused of stealing more than $360,000 from his disabled son's trust fund to pay for drugs, pornography and vacations.

Todd D. Laseke, 48, admitted to spending thousands on himself and chalked it up to "stupidity," police said. He is charged in Outagamie County Circuit Court with theft in a business setting, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Police said Laseke withdrew or transferred $502,672 from the trust fund to his personal bank accounts from March 2008 to November 2011. While $135,000 can be attributed to Laseke's monthly allowance, $367,672 was spent beyond his stipend, officials said.

Medical lawsuit provided $1.3 million for son
In 2008, Laseke was awarded guardianship of his son, 11 years after the family filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the Bay Area Medical Center in Marinette, federal court records show. In 1999, the child received $1.37 million from the hospital and one of its doctors, and Laseke was awarded $100,000. Laseke's son, now an adult, suffered a brain injury as a child that left him mentally disabled, prosecutors said.

As his son's guardian, Laseke was responsible for maintaining the trust fund and was allotted $3,000 per month for his own living expenses, according to the criminal complaint filed June 12. By law, he was required to submit annual accounting reports to the Outagamie County register in probate's office, which is responsible for oversight.

From 2008 to 2009, Laseke reported spending $154,762 of his son's settlement, court records state.

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Police: Appleton Man Misspent Disabled Son's Trust Fund