Saturday, July 31, 2021

Helena woman found guilty of elder abuse, identity theft

by Tyler Manning

Cory Ann Rucker
A jury found a Helena woman guilty of elder abuse last week in Lewis and Clark County District Court.

Cory Ann Rucker was found guilty of felony exploitation of an older person and felony theft of identity July 20 in Judge Mike Menahan's court. Per jury instructions, the jury was able to find Rucker guilty of elder abuse or, in the alternative, felony theft for stealing over $17,500 from the victim.

During the trial, evidence included bank statements, ATM withdrawals, video evidence of Rucker withdrawing money from the victim's account, credit card statements and a letter from Capital One banking. Following the jury's guilty verdict, Menahan set Rucker's sentencing date for Oct. 13, 2021. 

Rucker's crimes took place between October 2019 and January 2020. According to court documents, Rucker had the victim living with her in Helena. Rucker was the power of attorney for the victim at the time.

Law enforcement determined that approximately $11,400 was withdrawn from ATMs in or adjacent to casinos. It was determined that none of the withdrawals took place at the bank holding the victim's money. 

Court documents stated the victim was visibly shocked when questioned about the missing $17,000. She told police she was unaware that Rucker had spent so much money from her account. 

Rucker allegedly admitted to spending the victim's money at casinos and agreed that it wasn't reasonable for her to do so. She also told police she was unaware just how much she had spent. 

Despite this alleged admission, Rucker entered a plea of not guilty and maintained that stance for over a year until her jury trial. 

Full Article & Source:
 
See Also: 
 

No comments:

Post a Comment