Iowa takes center stage in the fight against elder abuse

AG Tom Miller

One in 10 older adults in the United States is abused or exploited every year. The abuse can be physical, psychological, or financial. In any form, it is unconscionable.

The United States Department of Justice and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office are committed to ending it. 

Elder abuse takes many forms. In some cases, trusted loved ones abuse their power-of-attorney status to drain the bank accounts of unsuspecting seniors. In other cases, scammers from half a world away swindle seniors through deceptive and extortionate phone calls. One such scheme, for instance, involves fraudsters calling victims and falsely claiming that a loved one has been arrested and sent to jail. The fraudster then asks the victims to wire money to secure the relative’s release. This scheme and others like it result in seniors losing an estimated $3 billion every year. 

Peter E. Deegan Jr. (Photo: Special to the Register)

In Iowa, we are united in our efforts to protect seniors. Embracing the Department of Justice’s increased commitment to stopping elder fraud and abuse, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa are prioritizing prosecution of those who defraud seniors, and we are asking judges to send perpetrators to federal prison.

In the past year alone, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa have charged and/or sentenced more than a dozen fraudsters for targeting the elderly and have coordinated with county attorneys to prosecute more than 20 others.

Marc Krickbaum (Photo: Special to the Register)

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office also is contributing to the fight by assisting county attorneys in prosecuting elder abuse and prioritizing frauds against elderly consumers. To further its work, the office received a $400,000 federal grant, which it has used to train more than 600 local law enforcement officers and other professionals on how to investigate and prosecute elder abuse cases.

On Nov. 14-15, the Department of Justice is hosting its first Rural and Tribal Elder Justice Summit in Des Moines. Over the course of two days, elder justice professionals serving and working with older adults in rural and tribal communities around the country will come together to gain a better understanding of the challenges rural and tribal communities face; identify promising practices, resources, and tools; and foster greater collaboration between tribal, local, state, and federal governments.

If you or someone you know is the victim of elder fraud/exploitation, we encourage you to reach out to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office at 515-281-5926 or 888-777-4590 (outside of the Des Moines area). And if you or someone you know is suffering from physical abuse, or is in immediate danger, please call 911 or contact your local law enforcement. The Department of Justice also provides resources to victims through its Office of Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov. Additional elder justice resources, training, and outreach materials can be found at the Department’s Elder Justice Website, http://www.elderjustice.gov.

To register for the Rural and Tribal Elder Justice Summit, visit https://ovcttac.wufoo.com/forms/rural-and-tribal-elder-justice-summit.

Peter E. Deegan, Jr. is the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa.

Marc Krickbaum is the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa.

Tom Miller is the Attorney General of Iowa.

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Iowa takes center stage in the fight against elder abuse