Nevada: Grand Jury Indicts Another in Separate Guardianship Abuse Case

 PRESS RELEASE from Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson
 Issued at 12:23 pm on 03/09/2017

Just one day after the Clark County Grand Jury indicted four co-defendants on a variety of crimes relating to guardianship abuse, today, in a separate case, a second Clark County Grand Jury returned an indictment against Susan Rousselle for her criminal mishandling of the Special Needs Trust account of Jason Hanson.

Ms. Rousselle is charged with 22 counts of Exploitation of a Vulnerable Person (category B felony), and 22 counts of Theft (category B and C felonies). Each exploitation count carries a potential prison term of 1-10 years. The theft counts carry a potential 1-5 years each for the category C and a potential 1-10 years each for the category B.

Jason Hanson

Ms. Rousselle was the legal guardian of Mr. Hanson from the time he was 16 until he was 18. She was then appointed the trustee of his Special Needs Trust account after he turned 18. Mr. Hanson is disabled and confined to a wheelchair. The trust was established for his care by an inheritance from his grandmother.

The indictment alleges that Ms. Rousselle stole more than $50,000 from that account and used it for her personal benefit.

At the hearing today, Judge Gonzalez issued an arrest warrant for Ms. Rousselle and set her bail at $200,000.

“It’s hard not to take this case personal,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Cooper. “When I met Jason I instantly liked him. My focus was to seek justice on his behalf and hopefully bring him some closure in this ongoing case. Ms. Rousselle’s actions will not go unpunished.”

“I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Hanson, and he is a very special man,” said Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson. “He is strong and resilient and we are very pleased that the Grand Jury has indicted Ms. Rousselle in this case. Stealing from anyone is bad enough, but stealing from someone who relies on you, and you are entrusted to protect, takes it to a whole new level. The indictments returned the last two days are proof that we are focused on ending the exploitation and abuse of our most vulnerable citizens.
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