Omaha woman arrested for allegedly stealing $770K+ from father after gaining power of attorney
By Mike Bell
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - An Omaha woman has
been arrested for allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars
from her own father after being given power of attorney, according to
authorities.
Patricia Deacy, 60, was
booked into Douglas County Corrections Tuesday morning for abuse of a
vulnerable adult and theft greater than $5,000 - both felonies.
Patricia Deacy(Douglas County Corrections)
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office affidavit alleges the following:
In 2023, Deacy’s father was living in a
memory care facility and was “pressured” into authorizing her to be his
power of attorney.
“She retired
shortly thereafter and (a relative) noted that her lifestyle improved
dramatically... Patricia began giving away large sums of money to select
family members, buying new houses, cars, and pools, taking her children
on expensive vacations and buying one of her daughters a new car, pool,
and house,” the report reads.
About
$770,000 in withdrawals were made in four months from her father’s
account, according to a family member, after other family members had
been denied access or only given partial access to the trust account.
Investigators met with the father in 2025 and believed he was a vulnerable adult suffering from memory impairment.
Investigators stated the father expressed
shock that Deacy “might be misusing his money for her own benefit and
said she was independently wealthy,” but could not explain how.
When
informed about the $770,000 in withdrawals, the father “strongly
asserted that he had not authorized any such withdrawal and affirmed
that he intended for his money to remain in his possession,” and never
allowed his money to be spent on houses, cars, or pools.
A
deeper look into the account revealed the potential misappropriation of
$1,416,636.42. Another family member said Deacy had decided to sell
stock and disburse funds among her father’s children as she saw fit,
primarily family members she was fond of while excluding others.
Here is a breakdown of the alleged spending:
$213,286.64 in 217 transfers via Venmo and PayPal apps. Deacy’s father only owned a flip phone and did not need these payment systems.
$23,200
in four transfers to someone who is believed to be an attorney in
Pensacola, Florida, as Deacy was allegedly trying to purchase property
there.
$116,358.44 over 10 debit transfers for boat purchases.
$94,469.01 over 21 payments for home improvements, landscaping, and hardscaping. Deacy’s father did not own a home at the time.
$53,580 over 16 debit transfers for banking services to a bank the father did not have an account with.
$49,999.36
over 31 transfers for auto-related expenses. The father did not own or
drive a car because, again, he is in assisted living for memory care.
$39,000 to accounts controlled by Deacy.
$32,873.66 over 439 retail purchases including Amazon, Costco and Target.
$8,473.89 over 324 food and drink debits from September 2023 to April 2026. The majority of the father’s meals are at the care facility.
$7,679.40 for housing, rental or purchasing not related to the father’s living requirements.
$5,654.82 in check payments to Deacy.
$3,060.78
at grocery outlets in Omaha and Florida. No food was found to be stored
at the father’s apartment during the investigator’s visit.
$2,006.11 to entertainment vendors like Apple, Netflix, and Omaha Rec Centers.
$1,722 to “Educational Comp” and the Clarke Community School District. The father was not a student of either.
$1,608.35 in ATM withdrawals.
$1,404.90 at convenience stores and gas stations. The father did not drive or travel by himself.
$996.65 in hotels.
$633.50 in other travel-related expenses, including Pensacola Airport parking and online passport fees.
The total amount believed to be misappropriated is about $874,732.98, according to the investigation.
Deposits and payments made by Deacy to the accounts potentially reduced the misappropriated funds by $107,952.18.
Some
family members have filed a petition to remove Deacy’s power of
attorney. A judge ordered Tuesday that Deacy must turn over all
receipts, disbursements and transactions related to her father’s
accounts.
A future court date and bond amount have not been set as of Tuesday afternoon.
Douglas County Sheriff Aaron Hanson released this statement:
“While
crimes like this may not seem like a big deal to some, they can wreak
havoc and upend lives, especially those of vulnerable people. I am proud
that the DCSO has become the regional expert in financial crimes
investigations.
Over the last few years, violent
crime numbers have been on the decline due to the hard work and
dedication of Deputies and Officers from agencies across the Omaha
Metropolitan area, yet financial crimes continue to increase.
The
men and women of the DCSO pride themselves in protecting vulnerable
members of our community from financial exploitation. We take these
cases extremely seriously and are committed to ensure that justice is
served for the victims,”
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