Guardian stole more than $500,000 from elderly Pinellas man, deputies say

Investigators say Traci Hudson stole more than $500,000 from a man she had guardianship over.

By Kathryn Varn and Daniel Figueroa IV

For the latter part of his life, Maurice Myers lived on his own in a small home south of Sarasota.

Then, in March 2017, when he was 92, Myers was hospitalized twice with numerous health complications. He was released to a rehabilitation facility, then moved to a senior care home in Pinellas Park. There, he’d be closer to his daughter, who oversaw his affairs.

But just months, later his daughter unexpectedly died in October 2017. Staffers at the elderly care home knew he couldn’t care for himself. So they reached out to a professional guardian they knew named Traci Hudson.

Myers soon signed over his power of attorney and healthcare decisions to Hudson. In the 11 months she spent overseeing his care, Hudson swindled more than $500,000 from Myers, according to investigators, and spent it on things like jewelry and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tickets.

A lengthy Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office investigation ended Thursday with Hudson’s arrest. The 51-year-old Riverview woman faces a charge of exploitation of an elderly person and is staring down court orders in dozens of court-appointed guardianship cases she oversees, demanding she explain herself.

Deputies booked her into the Pinellas County jail on Thursday. She was released Friday after posting $250,000 bail. She did not return calls for comment.

The investigation started in November 2018 with a tip from the Florida Department of Children and Families that Hudson may be exploiting a man who she had power of attorney over. The complaint describes this timeline:

After Myers was hospitalized in 2017, he was moved into a rehabilitation facility in Sarasota. He was diagnosed with conditions including kidney failure, hypertension and heart disease.

Myers was discharged from the rehab facility in May and moved into Grand Villa of Pinellas Park, a senior care facility at 8980 49th St. N, at the request of his daughter, Virginia Myers. She died later that year at age 61.

Doctors at Grand Villa told detectives that Myers suffered multiple falls, was showing signs of possible dementia and could no longer care for himself. Staff members knew Hudson because she acted as a guardian for other residents at the facility. She was floated as a possible caretaker for Myers.

Hudson, who previously went by Traci Samuels, completed training and testing to become a guardian in early 2016, according to the complaint. She runs her own company called Florida Guardianship Services, according to state business records, and is listed as the president of the Guardian Association of Pinellas County

Grand Villa staffers reached out to Hudson to see if she’d be willing to take on Myers. She agreed. Myers signed documents Nov. 9, 2017, giving Hudson power of attorney over his affairs and naming her as his healthcare surrogate. Her name was added to his two bank accounts that same day. Unlike court-appointed guardians, power of attorney and healthcare surrogate roles don’t go through the court system and are not subject to the same financial oversight.

In May 2018, Hudson moved him to Princeton Village, a memory care facility at 333 16th Ave. SE in Largo. That September, he was admitted to Morton Plant Hospital with a hip injury. He was discharged after surgery to Wrights Healthcare, a rehab facility, then hospitalized again at Largo Medical Center in October 2018. He was released a few days later to hospice care and died at age 93 on Oct. 9, 2018.

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Guardian stole more than $500,000 from elderly Pinellas man, deputies say