Shirley Hardaway, 60, who was the owner of Companion Plus, cared for the victim for about four to five years before the woman died in September 2009. She was 91.
"The deceased victim left behind more than $80,000 in two investment accounts at Franklin Templeton Investments, an investment managing company headquartered in California," Louis Goggans, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office, said in a news release. "Nearly two years after the victim's death, in June 2011, Hardaway mailed fraudulent change of address requests to Franklin Templeton on the decedent's investment accounts, changing the address used for future correspondence between the parties to Hardaway's address."
She then worked with a co-conspirator to open a bank account in the victim's name and requested the investment company transfer the money.
"Upon receiving the request to liquidate both of the deceased victim's accounts, Franklin Templeton electronically transferred more than $80,000 to the bank account," according to the news release.
"Hardaway then transferred the money to her personal Bank of America savings account and withdrew it all via cashier's check."
She pleaded guilty in October to one count of bank fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
She was sentenced Wednesday by Judge Jon Phipps McCalla and ordered to pay $124,630.54 in restitution. The U.S. Secret Service investigated the case which was prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Leetra Harris.
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Caretaker sentenced to 27 months in fraud case
Beware of who we bring into our homes and keep a watchful eye on caretakers in nursing homes too.
ReplyDeleteDysfunctional, sociopath family members will also do all they can to make their premeditated intentions to defraud their own parent, grandparent or siblings, look like they are doing acts of kindness. It's very hard to point a finger at someone who is so "caring". They use gaslighting (deliberate crisis set-ups and lies) and undue pressure to persuade the elder to put bank accounts and property in their name, mistakenly trusting them that they will divide all fairly. They have persuaded the elder to purchase new cars and items saying the elder really needs it, but it goes to that person before or after death. Lawyers know what is happening, but they told me job is not to counsel their paying client's moral behavior. Sad.
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