A Lincoln attorney whose law license was suspended after her arrest on allegations that she financially exploited a woman with developmental disabilities for whom she was a court-appointed guardian has been sentenced to five years of probation.
Christine Vanderford, 48, also was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and serve 90 days in county jail starting May 10, unless it's later waived by the court.
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| Christine Vanderford |
At a hearing Wednesday afternoon, her attorney, Bob Creager, argued for a new trial, saying there were unresolved issues at trial, including whether a trust could be a victim or qualify as a "vulnerable adult," as the state had alleged in the case, and whether Vanderford had criminal intent.
"This is a strange statute. You exploit someone by exploiting them," Creager said.
He argued that when Vanderford wrote checks from the trust to herself, paying herself for the work she was doing for the woman, the conduct wasn't wrongful or unauthorized. She contended that the woman's father had OK'd it.
Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Jeremy Lavene pointed out that the woman's father denied it at trial.
"She was wrongfully taking money for her own benefit and not the benefit of (the victim)," he said. "Clearly there's intent here."
Lavene said Vanderford was having financial difficulties and paid herself more than $60,000 between 2014 and 2016 to keep her law firm afloat when she got behind on payments and maxed out her line of credit.
The Lincoln police investigation started with a tip from Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services in June 2017 alleging that Vanderford, who had been appointed by the court to serve as a 33-year-old woman’s guardian, had been writing herself checks on a trust set up for the woman's benefit.
Creager said Vanderford was doing what she was asked to do, including taking the woman to medical appointments and helping her with the things her mother did for her before she died.
In the end, the judge gave her probation.
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