Author Ann Rule Was Abused, Ripped Off By Her Sons, Cops Say

Ann Rule

Bestselling true crime author Ann Rule was bilked out of more than $100,000 by two of her sons, one of whom demanded money while she "cowered in her wheelchair," authorities said.

Michael Rule, 51, has been charged with theft in the first degree and forgery, for allegedly writing himself $103,628 in checks from his mother's bank account, according to charging documents.

Andrew Rule, 54, was accused of coercing his mother into giving him $23,327 and was charged with first-degree theft. Both are free on their own recognizance awaiting trial.

Ann Rule, 84, the author of 30 New York Times bestsellers, has been in declining health since an October 2013 fall that resulted in a broken hip, according to court documents provided to The Huffington Post by the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office in Washington state. She "is on oxygen at all times," suffers from periods of "extreme confusion" and is "vulnerable to undue influence," the documents say.

"She is unable to perform many activities of daily living without assistance," the court documents state.

Her sons began taking advantage of her weakness last year, according to prosecutors.

Authorities were alerted on March 2, when Rule's son-in-law, Glen Scorr, told the prosecutor's office he suspected his mother-in-law was being financially exploited by her two sons.

A joint investigation by the King County Sheriff's Office and the Normandy Park Police Department revealed that four of Ann Rule's children receive an estimated $25,000 monthly salary through her corporation, Rule Enterprises LLC, for "assigned responsibilities." (Click to continue reading)

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Author Ann Rule Was Abused, Ripped Off By Her Sons, Cops Say