Missouri bill targets abuse in nursing homes with tougher penalties, more transparency

Supporters of the bill said it could help families get compensation and closure — and hold facilities accountable — for abuse or neglect of older Missourians. Opponents said insurance requirements could push small providers out of business

By: Steph Quinn

Republican Sen. Adam Schnelting of St. Charles describes his bill targeting nursing home abuse and neglect as a "way to foster a culture of life in our state." He sponsored similar bills in 2024 and 2025, but this is the first year the legislation has gotten a hearing (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).

The first warning sign that all was not well with Miranda Malone’s mom was that she had lost a lot of weight.

It was June 2020, and Malone, of St. Charles County, hadn’t been able to visit the nursing home where her mom was receiving care for Parkinson’s disease since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Malone told The Independent she discussed upping her mom’s protein intake with the nurses, but her mom only got thinner and developed a bedsore.

Three months later Malone got a worried call from a nurse who wasn’t part of her mom’s usual care team. Her mom had been screaming in pain, and her bedsore, the nurse said, was “the most extreme she’d ever seen.”

By the time Malone got her mom to an appointment with a specialist, her infection had gotten so bad that “you could see her spine.” When she was checked into an ER that November, she was severely malnourished. An MRI showed the infection had spread to her bones.

Given the choice between a feeding tube and hospice care, Malone’s mom chose hospice care. She died on Dec. 4, 2020.

“The only answer that I have gotten…is, ‘During COVID, we were short-staffed,” Malone said. “That’s not good enough for me. I’m sorry. That’s just not good enough.”

Missouri lawmakers are considering legislation aiming to increase accountability and transparency around elder abuse and neglect in long-term care facilities. A Senate committee debated the bill last week.

Sponsored by Republican state Sen. Adam Schnelting of St. Charles, the legislation would increase penalties for abuse or neglect of an elderly person and require long-term care facilities to maintain liability insurance policies worth at least $1 million.

Schnelting, who sponsored similar proposals in 2024 and 2025, said the bill would help families get closure and compensation for abuse and neglect of loved ones.

“When someone gets hurt or their loved one gets hurt, facilities shouldn’t be able to say, ‘Well, you’re out of luck. I don’t have any insurance,” Schnelting said.

Schnelting recalled being “enraged” as he struggled “trying to get answers [and] trying to find resolution” after his mother died in a facility. 

She was getting rehabilitative care after a stroke, Schnelting said, and suffered head injuries in the facility. She had a second stroke and died after going into a vegetative state.

“It looked like someone had punched her multiple times in the face,” Schnelting said.

Nursing home residents in Missouri receive the fewest daily hours of care by licensed nurses in the U.S. — only 1.14 hours per day — according to data released by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid last month. They received an average of 3.37 hours of nursing care daily in March 2025. In 2023, AARP ranked Missouri’s long-term care facilities 47th for safety and quality and 38th overall. U.S. News and World Report ranks Missouri 50th in nursing home quality. 

Schnelting’s bill would also require the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services to display a symbol on its website identifying facilities with abuse or neglect findings substantiated by the department, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid or law enforcement. In addition to displaying the symbol, the department would have to provide a summary of the incident for three years after the most recent confirmed finding. 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid already marks nursing homes with recent abuse citations with an icon. 

Dr. Jana Opperman-Bendt, who switched careers to establish a small long-term care facility, said this provision would help families searching for a safe place for their loved ones, “when they are already overwhelmed and vulnerable themselves.”

Jay Hardenbrook, advocacy director for AARP Missouri, said the bill would enable families to find reliable information about facilities when they are no longer able to care for loved ones themselves.

“Being able to have transparency to look directly at what has happened in facilities and make an informed decision is so vitally important to the caregivers of our state,” Hardenbrook said.

The bill would also make abuse or neglect by a caregiver in a long-term care facility a class E felony. Elder abuse or neglect is currently a class A misdemeanor for anyone.

Opponents of the bill argued that the liability insurance requirement could drive small and rural facilities out of business.

Nikki Strong, representing the Missouri Health Care Association, a nonprofit that represents long-term care facilities, said mandating liability insurance would cause premiums to “skyrocket.”

Tim Blattel, legislative chair for the Missouri Assisted Living Association and CEO of Twin Oaks Senior Living in Wentzville, said the insurance requirement would hurt family-owned operators and asked to work with Schnelting to compromise on the bill.

Blattel said his annual insurance premium increased from $73,000 to $230,000 in one year because St. Louis has been deemed a “litigious area.”

Brandon Koch, executive director of the Missouri Insurance Coalition, said that if the bill set the minimum threshold for liability insurance too high, “it could impact affordability and availability.”

But Opperman-Bendt said she was “appalled” when she learned that long-term care facilities are not required to carry liability insurance.

“Should something go wrong with any of these individuals that I care for, I want my families to have protection, and I want to be held accountable for what has taken place,” she said.

Malone underlined the importance for families of getting closure and answers about what happened to their loved ones.

“This bill will help families,” she said, “because when you try to go and fight to get accountability and get transparency, there are walls there.” 

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Missouri bill targets abuse in nursing homes with tougher penalties, more transparency 

Banks are becoming bulwarks against scams for vulnerable seniors

The first call came just before Thanksgiving last year. She didn't recognize the phone number, but she answered anyway.

"The person said he was an officer of the Department of Criminal Investigations looking into drug trafficking and money laundering," the woman recalled. He seemed to know a lot about her: the states where she and her late husband had lived; his name and occupation; and her current address in Washington County, Rhode Island.

On her phone, he showed her a convincing badge and a photo ID with his name ("'Frank' something"), plus an article describing the supposed investigation. The woman, a 76-year-old retiree, denied any involvement.

"You can hire a very expensive criminal defense attorney, or you can cooperate with me," Frank told her.

"Now, when you think about it, it doesn't make any sense," the woman acknowledged recently. But persuaded by the badge and ID, she agreed to cooperate. Otherwise, "I thought they were going to come and arrest me."

Frank called each morning to learn where she was going, what she was doing. His team would be watching, he warned. The woman, feeling "petrified," started looking around as she drove to garden club meetings. Was somebody following her?

It was all a scam.

Because victims' sense of shame often leaves them reluctant to report such crimes, the extent of elder financial exploitation is hard to calculate. The Federal Trade Commission reported losses of $2.4 billion in 2024, largely driven by investment and romance scams and impersonations, with total losses much higher.

Americans age 60 and older lose more than $28 billion annually to financial exploitation, AARP estimated in 2023.

As those numbers rise, because the population is aging and predators are growing increasingly resourceful, banks and investment firms are becoming the first line of defense.

Frank's initial target: her account at Fidelity Investments. He instructed her to shift about $250,000 into her checking account, telling the financial adviser at her local office that she and her family intended to buy real estate.

That scheme fizzled when the adviser said Fidelity could not approve the transaction without more information on the property.

So Frank sent her to her local branch of Washington Trust Company to take $70,000 in cash from a home-equity line of credit. "We don't give out that much in cash," the teller said, quietly messaging the branch manager, who had known the woman and her husband for years.

The manager ushered the woman into her office to talk, and the scam stopped there, with a call to the local police. The woman's assets remained intact, but the experience proved so mortifying that she has not told even her family how close she came to losing much of her life savings. The New York Times is withholding her name to spare her embarrassment.

"I felt so stupid," she said. "I felt like a fool."

Financial predators targeting older adults represent "a heightened focus for us now," said Mary Noons, president and chief operating officer of Washington Trust.

A regional community bank, Washington Trust cranked up its efforts last fall to advise older customers and their families about finances, including the dangers of elder fraud and exploitation. It published and distributed a booklet called "Age With Wisdom" and brought in an expert on dementia to speak with staff members.

And it became one of the 1,500 financial institutions to date to use BankSafe, a free AARP video program that trains front-line employees to spot the red flags indicating possible elder exploitation and to intervene. Everyone at the branch where the 76-year-old banked had taken the training.

"Some older customers visit their bank far more frequently than they see their health care providers," Noons pointed out.

Until recent years, financial institutions placed "more of an emphasis on the autonomy of the client," said Pamela Teaster, director of the Virginia Tech Center for Gerontology and an elder abuse researcher. Their approach was, "an adult has the capacity to make poor choices, and we're going to let them make them," she added.

But changes in government and industry policies and practices have encouraged greater vigilance. Congress passed the Senior Safe Act in 2018, protecting banks and financial firms from liability if they reported suspected exploitation to authorities.

That year, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority began requiring member firms to ask for a trusted contact person when investors open or update accounts. (The account holder isn't obliged to provide one, however.) And since 2022, it has allowed firms to place holds on older investors' transactions if they suspect exploitation is involved.

About half of states have enacted laws that permit financial institutions to deny suspicious transactions or impose holds for specified periods to allow investigations, said Jilenne Gunther, the director of BankSafe.

"It adds friction," she explained. "With space and time, the criminal gets worried and might move on. And the potential mark has time to stop and think."

Teaster's analysis of data from BankSafe, during a six-month pilot in 82 financial institutions, found that participants were much more likely to report suspected cases and save customers money than a control group was.

Not all of older adults' losses result from predators, however. They can, on their own, get caught up in investment fads, take on too much debt, or make otherwise unwise decisions, even without criminals pulling the strings or relatives looting their accounts.

Managing finances presents complex cognitive challenges, said Mark Lachs, co-chief of geriatrics and palliative medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. "It requires a lot of brain," he said, including: "Memory, remembering that a bill is due. Executive function, the ability to manage your time. Abstraction, hypothesizing about your future."

He added, "Financial errors are not infrequently the first sign of impending dementia or a neurocognitive disorder."

A 2024 study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, for instance, found an increased probability of delinquent payments and deteriorating credit ratings in the five years before a dementia diagnosis. Those errors can reduce seniors' access to credit and raise their interest rates on loans at the very point when caregiving expenses are likely to soar.

Lachs has called on fellow doctors to recognize what he calls Age-Associated Financial Vulnerability, a syndrome that can affect even older people with normal cognition, especially if they contend with medical illnesses, sensory deficits, or social isolation.

And he remains skeptical about the financial industry's claims of heightened attention to its oldest customers. "I still see concerning financial transactions executed that should have received far greater scrutiny," he said.

Training more front-line staff members and increasing emphasis on establishing trusted contacts for older customers would help, Gunther said, because "once the money leaves the account, it's near impossible to ever retrieve it." More states could enact laws allowing financial institutions to deny suspicious transactions or impose holds.

Several related bills with bipartisan support are working their way through Congress. The National Strategy for Combating Scams Act would require the FBI to coordinate efforts to protect seniors. A bill that restores an IRS deduction would at least provide the consolation of excusing scam victims from paying taxes on money they no longer have.

However, new weapons like artificial-intelligence voice cloning — in which the supposed grandson four states away who urgently needs $5,000 in gift cards actually sounds like the victim's grandson — keep advocates and bankers awake at night.

In the Washington Trust branch where the Rhode Island woman didn't lose her money, employees just days earlier had stopped a scam similar to the one that had targeted her.

But more recently, nobody spotted any danger signs when an older woman withdrew $9,000 for a kitchen renovation, until it went to a scammer instead of a contractor. 

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Banks are becoming bulwarks against scams for vulnerable seniors 

Boxing legend Tommy Hearns placed under guardianship and conservatorship

On Wednesday, Oakland County Chief Probate Judge Pro Tempore Daniel A. O’Brien appointed Ronald Hearns, Tommy’s oldest son, as the sole guardian and conservator for his father.
 

By: Heather Catallo

(WXYZ) — He’s a boxing legend and beloved in Detroit. But world champion Thomas ‘The Hitman’ Hearns now finds himself in the middle of a new kind of fight: a guardianship court battle.

Different sides of his family have claimed the champion boxer was being kept from them, and Adult Protective Services (APS) officials testified in court that they are looking into whether he’s been the victim of financial exploitation and alleged kidnapping by some relatives.
 
On Wednesday, Oakland County Chief Probate Judge Pro Tempore Daniel A. O’Brien appointed Ronald Hearns, Tommy’s oldest son, as the sole guardian and conservator for his father.  That means Ronald Hearns has the power to make all the medical and financial decisions for his father.
 
Tommy Hearns spoke exclusively to the 7 Investigators about the court battle.

“I'm fine. I want the world to know that I'm doing fine. I feel good,” Hearns told 7 Investigator Heather Catallo.

Hearns says he wants the community to know he’s safe.

“I just want things to just be calm and good, and just move smoothly,” said Hearns.

“Mr. Hearns is revered in this community for all he's done, for all his giving back to the community, to the city of Detroit, to the boxing world,” said attorney Wolf Mueller.

Mueller represents Hearns’ oldest son, Ronald, and is the former chairman of the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission, the government commission that’s responsible for overseeing professional boxing and mixed martial arts in Michigan.

“So my job with the conservator and the court is to make sure that nobody takes advantage of him and he is treated with dignity and respect that he so richly deserves,” said Mueller. “I think there is a lot of evidence that he's been taking advantage of recently.”

“My dad is a great man, has a big heart, and for him to be going through this type of situation at this time in his life is terrible,” said Ronald Hearns.

Hearns started boxing at age 10, won six championship titles, and was the first boxer ever to win titles in five different weight classes. He was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012.

At an emergency guardianship hearing on February 23, only our cameras were there as Oakland County Chief Probate Judge Pro Tem Daniel O’Brien took testimony from APS workers who were searching for Hearns after they said his daughter and his sister would not reveal the location of the 67-year-old.

“I am ordering you to tell me where Thomas Hearns is,” Judge O’Brien told Natasha Barnes, one of Hearns’ daughters.
“Ok,” said Barnes.
“So, tell me where he is,” said the Judge.
“That’s why I would like to receive legal counsel, to explain the situation where my father is, and what to do from here,” said Barnes.
“I can hold you in contempt of court until you give that information up. That’s okay with you?” said Judge O’Brien.
“No, I do not want to be held in contempt of court,” said Barnes.
“Then tell us where your father is,” said Judge O’Brien.
“I don’t have my father sir,” said Barnes.

Hearns was not at the address that was eventually provided in court by Barnes’ mother. He was later turned over to other relatives at the Detroit Police 12th precinct.

APS officials also said they were suspicious after a GoFundMe online fundraiser was set up, allegedly by Hearns’ sister, Louise. She did not appear in court Wednesday.

“So, your impression is they were using Mr. Hearns as some kind of commercial advertiser,” asked Judge O’Brien.

“Correct,” said attorney Michael Dean, the Guardian Ad Litem temporarily appointed to explain a ward’s rights during a guardianship proceeding. “She set up a GoFundMe account as well for the care of Thomas Hearns, as well as stating in the Facebook post that anyone interested in promoting opportunities with Thomas Hearns was to contact her.”

By Wednesday morning, all sides of the family agreed to allow Ronald Hearns to be in charge of his father’s care and finances.

Citing a dementia diagnosis, Judge O’Brien appointed Ronald Hearns as guardian and conservator of Thomas Hearns.

“Everybody loves Mr. Hearns and wants the best for him. I'm assuming that, and I think that's probably true. So that's what everybody should be working for and not focusing on their past grievances,” said Judge O’Brien.

“Just keep praying for my dad and the family as we move forward in our lives,” said Ronald Hearns. “That's my main goal, to make sure that he's enjoying his life and nobody else can hurt him in any kind of way, financially, physically, or mentally.”

“Knowing that you've been loved and been thought about, it's a good feeling because people don't have to think about you or care anything about you at all. But when people do care about you, and they really do love you… " It's a good feeling for me,” said Tommy Hearns.

Unfortunately, Hearns’ home was lost to tax foreclosure recently. He is now living with his oldest son. Ronald asks that the community refrain from donating to any online fundraisers; he says they do not consider those legitimate.

“Thomas Hearns is a legend and an icon in this community. Everybody loves Thomas Hearns. He has dignity and respect. He wants his autonomy. And all of that should be respected so that he can continue to live as he wants to live and make sure that nobody is taking advantage of him,” said Mueller.

If you have a story for Heather Catallo, please email her at hcatallo@wxyz.com 

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Boxing legend Tommy Hearns placed under guardianship and conservatorship 

Decatur police officer on leave after being charged with Financial Exploitation of an Elderly Person

By Stephanie Obediku

DECATUR, Ala. (WAFF) - A Decatur police officer is now on administrative leave after he was arrested Monday night.

Officer Elijah Cole is charged with Theft-First Degree and Financial Exploitation of an Elderly Person.

Cole’s arrest stems from an investigation into a December report alleging criminal activity by a DPD officer.

He has served for over four years with the department, in two separate periods of employment, as a patrol officer.

No further information is available as an internal investigation is underway.  

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Decatur police officer on leave after being charged with Financial Exploitation of an Elderly Person 

V.A. Begins Drive to Put Homeless Veterans Into Guardianship

A joint effort with the Justice Department creates new authority to compel veterans into institutional or involuntary care. 

By Ellen Barry and Jason DeParle

The Trump administration on Wednesday announced a new effort to initiate legal guardianships for homeless veterans, which could be used to force more of them into involuntary or institutional care.

The new system, carried out in partnership with the Justice Department, will invest Veterans Affairs Department attorneys with expanded powers that would allow them to initiate and take part in guardianship proceedings for veterans who have no family and are “unable to make their own health care decisions.”

The initiative represents the Trump administration’s most concrete action to advance its goal of compelling more homeless people into involuntary treatment for mental illness and drug addiction.

President Trump identified the issue as a priority during the 2024 presidential campaign and promoted it last July in an executive order that called on agencies to use civil commitment to move homeless people into “long-term institutional settings.”

Critics say the policy shift raises significant civil liberties concerns, noting that in earlier generations, people with severe mental illness were routinely stripped of their legal rights and confined to state hospitals.

The V.A. says the guardianship initiative would affect “hundreds” of veterans who are currently in V.A. facilities but need “a legal decision maker” to transition to a new setting. Some are homeless, and others are “at risk of homelessness” upon discharge, the agency said in a press statement.

“Our new partnership with the Justice Department reflects our ongoing commitment to ensuring that every veteran receives timely, appropriate care,” said Doug Collins, the V.A. secretary.

Guardianship powers are broader and longer lasting than civil commitment, which is used to compel someone to accept medical treatment.

Guardianship proceedings are typically initiated by family members, friends or health care providers, and are argued before state or probate judges, with the subject entitled to legal representation. If a court finds that the person is not able to make basic decisions about health and safety, a guardian is appointed.

Guardians can control a person’s assets, where the person lives and whom he or she sees. They can also require the person to accept medical treatment. Unlike civil commitment rulings, which expire after a specific time period, guardianships are intended to be durable, though they are revisited periodically and can be terminated or dissolved.

Michael Figlioli, the director of the National Veterans Service for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, commended the change, which he said recognizes “that some of our nation’s most vulnerable veterans must be approached through a public health and social services framework.”

If thoughtfully carried out, he said, guardianships could provide more “structured support” for vulnerable veterans, though he noted “important considerations regarding veterans’ privacy, potential implementation gaps and the need for sufficient resources.”

Rights advocates said they were alarmed by the proposal, which they saw as part of a drive by the administration to place homeless people in institutional settings against their will.

“My speculation is that they are seeking to have people placed under guardianship so they can have a person appointed who will force them into congregate or institutional settings when there isn’t anything else available,” said Jennifer Mathis, the deputy director of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.

If there are veterans “sitting in V.A. hospitals” unable to be discharged, as the V.A. says, she said, it is “almost certainly” because there are long waits for intensive community services or independent housing. She added that it is highly unusual for the Justice Department to take a role in guardianship proceedings, which are governed by state laws.

“I don’t know what their authority is,” Ms. Mathis said. The federal government, she added, “has very little to do with guardianship.”

Stephen Eide, who studies homelessness at the Manhattan Institute, welcomed the Trump administration’s efforts to expand guardianship, which he said could protect people at risk of “slow-motion suicide.”

“More use of involuntary treatment is essential to solving street homelessness,” he said.

But he cautioned that successful implementation could be challenging, since it requires coordinated efforts among police officers, social workers, clinicians and lawyers, often employed by different levels of government. “It’s hard to change big systems,” he said.

A pilot project to expand guardianships at the V.A. has been under discussion for months.

The pilot, called “Project Safe Harbor,” identified five V.A. hubs that had been selected to test a “guardianship model for veterans experiencing homelessness” who lack capacity to make “appropriate medical and social decisions for themselves,” according to an internal memo shared with The New York Times. The sites were asked to refer veterans and take legal steps for “placement into appropriate care sites.”

There are about 33,000 homeless veterans in the United States, about 14,000 of whom live on the streets. Veterans make up around 5 percent of the unsheltered homeless population. 

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V.A. Begins Drive to Put Homeless Veterans Into Guardianship

Billings Woman Charged with Elder Abuse, Deliberate Homicide by Accountability

BILLINGS, Mont. — Samantha Marie Finch, 32, has been charged with deliberate homicide by accountability, elder abuse, forgery, and tampering with evidence. The charges relate to the death of her grandfather, D.R.F., 79, which occurred between September 2022 and November 2024.

According to official court documents from the Yellowstone County Attorney's Office, Finch allegedly encouraged her boyfriend, Dean Frost, to strangle her grandfather. After the death, she is accused of attempting to conceal the crime by moving D.R.F.’s body into a camper. The documents also allege she gained control of her grandfather’s funds and property through deception and failed to provide necessary care for him.

Investigators found suspicious financial activity in D.R.F.’s accounts, including significant withdrawals linked to Finch. Frost has confessed to the murder as part of a plea deal, saying he strangled D.R.F. and that Finch pressured him to act. He also described a failed attempt to poison D.R.F. with fentanyl.

The court documents note communications showing tension between Finch and Frost after the murder, including Frost expressing regret and his intent to confess. The investigation is ongoing as law enforcement continues gathering evidence and testimony.

The charges against Finch highlight a case of alleged homicide, financial exploitation, and abuse of a vulnerable adult.

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Billings Woman Charged with Elder Abuse, Deliberate Homicide by Accountability 

Ethics commission recommends removal of Anne Arundel probate judge Marc Knapp

by Alex Mann

A Maryland commission that investigates wrongdoing by judges recommended that the state’s highest court remove Anne Arundel County Orphans’ Court Judge Marc Knapp from the probate bench.  

According to an opinion published online Tuesday, the commission, made up of judges, lawyers and civilians, voted unanimously to recommend Knapp’s removal.

The commission’s decision follows days of trial-like proceedings last fall in Howard County Circuit Court, where the commission’s investigative counsel, which functions like a prosecution, presented its case against Knapp. The judge then had an opportunity to put on his own case.

“I’m very disappointed, unhappy with what they’ve done,” Knapp told The Banner by phone Tuesday. ”I don’t agree with what they’ve done.”

Investigative counsel and Knapp can file written exceptions to the commission’s findings. The commission can then respond.

The decision on punishment falls to the Supreme Court of Maryland, which can order memorandums from both sides. Knapp’s disciplinary action is likely to be placed on an expedited docket.

Knapp already filed for reelection. It’s unclear what would happen if he were to retain his seat on the bench at the ballot box, but then be removed by the state supreme court. It’s also unclear if he could continue running if the high court removes him from the bench before the election.

The accusations against Knapp stem from his longstanding and highly public dispute with Vickie Gipson, who was the chief judge of the Anne Arundel probate court.

Knapp and Gipson’s spat spilled out of chambers, where they yelled so loudly their voices could be heard throughout the nearby Register of Wills Office, and into the public eye.

Gipson twice summoned county police to the probate court and applied for a peace order against Knapp.

The Maryland Office of the State Prosecutor unsuccessfully prosecuted Knapp on the criminal charge of illegally recording his colleagues. An Anne Arundel Circuit Court judge found the recording in question was illegally obtained by police, forcing prosecutors to dismiss the case.

Both he and Gipson faced separate judicial ethics charges before the commission. It has not yet issued a ruling in Gipson’s case, which took longer than Knapp’s because of scheduling issues.

Investigative counsel argued in support of a litany of ethics charges that Gipson and Knapp’s behavior served to “denigrate public confidence” in the probate court. Some court staff who testified at Knapp’s hearings recalled litigants wondering whether the two were real judges.

It costs $25 to run for the county Orphans’ Court; a law degree is not required. Neither Knapp or Gipson had practiced law in Maryland.

When he testified in his hearings, Knapp admitted to cursing at his colleagues when he disagreed with them, belittling them and leaning over their desks during arguments.

“You’re not an attorney. You don’t know what the hell you’re doing,” Knapp recalled telling then-Orphans’ Court Judge David Duba during one argument.

He also repeatedly insulted Gipson’s writing and recalled once telling her to “quit dicking around” when he thought she was taking too long to issue an opinion.

When a court clerk got promoted, she testified, Knapp asked her, “How does it feel to finally be important?”

The commission found that Knapp’s behavior could not be rectified with a punishment lesser than removal.

“Respondent’s misconduct was pervasive and severe,” the commission’s opinion said. “It occurred on the bench, to court staff, and to judicial colleagues.”

The commission found that Knapp destroyed evidence in front of Anne Arundel County Police, exhibited bias, failed to cooperate with law enforcement, “was not fully credible before the commission” and regularly cursed during his testimony.

“All of this embarrasses the Maryland judiciary and diminishes the public’s trust in the Anne Arundel County Orphans Court,” the commission’s opinion said. 

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Ethics commission recommends removal of Anne Arundel probate judge Marc Knapp 

Feds Turn Up Heat On Detroit Judge As Guardianship Scandal Widens

By Javier Rodriguez

Federal prosecutors signaled in today's court filing that the corruption probe into suspended 36th District Judge Andrea Bradley‑Baskin is far from over and could soon grow larger, with the possibility of new charges on the horizon. The filing comes on top of a Jan. 30 indictment accusing Bradley‑Baskin and three Detroit residents of conspiring to siphon money and property from vulnerable wards in Wayne County's probate system. The case has reignited scrutiny of how guardians handle estates for people who are elderly, incapacitated or otherwise unable to manage their own affairs.

According to reporting by The Detroit News, prosecutors asked the court for more time to work through a growing pile of discovery and warned that additional defendants or criminal counts could surface as the investigation continues. The outlet reviewed filings and public records that it says add detail to an alleged pattern of asset‑stripping involving wards who were elderly, mentally incapacitated or already deceased. If prosecutors pursue a superseding indictment, it would be unsealed and added to the public docket once filed.

What prosecutors allege

A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan says an indictment unsealed Jan. 30 charged Bradley‑Baskin, her father Avery Bradley, Nancy Williams and Dwight Rashad with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The filing also includes multiple money‑laundering counts and a false‑statement charge against Bradley‑Baskin. Prosecutors say Williams’ firm, Guardian & Associates, was appointed fiduciary in more than 1,000 probate cases and that funds intended for wards were diverted to the defendants. "This state judge and her cronies allegedly abused that high honor for personal gain by preying on the needy protected by the court," U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon said in the release.

What reporters found

Investigative work by The Detroit News and court records outline a series of transactions in which homes and bank accounts belonging to wards were allegedly sold or drained, with the proceeds routed to associates. Prosecutors, as cited by the outlet, point to specific examples: about $70,000 allegedly pulled to buy a stake in a bar, withdrawals used to lease a Brush Park townhouse valued at roughly $900,000, and tens of thousands of dollars for a two‑year lease on a luxury SUV. The government also highlights property transfers and rental payments tied to a co‑defendant’s group‑home business that, prosecutors allege, billed for residents who never actually lived there.

Court action and next steps

Chief 36th District Judge William McConico approved an administrative removal of Bradley‑Baskin from her docket in an effort to preserve public confidence while the federal case plays out, according to CBS Detroit. In the March 10 filing, prosecutors told the court the probe remains active and that additional charges could be necessary. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has also stressed that an indictment is an accusation, not proof of guilt. Should a superseding indictment be filed, it would be unsealed and the defendants would be arraigned on the expanded set of charges.

Legal implications

The federal counts listed in the indictment, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money‑laundering allegations and an alleged false statement to investigators, carry significant potential penalties if they result in convictions. They can also trigger state disciplinary proceedings that affect a judge’s law license and ability to remain on the bench. At the same time, families of alleged victims may pursue civil remedies while FBI and IRS criminal investigators continue to develop the case. Authorities have asked anyone with information about wards handled by Guardian & Associates or Tri‑State Guardian Services to contact investigators as the probe moves forward.

Taken together, the January indictment and the March 10 filing outline what federal officials characterize as a years‑long scheme. The next big public marker would be any superseding indictment, followed by fresh arraignments that could pull even more details about the alleged operation into open court.

Full Article & Source:
Feds Turn Up Heat On Detroit Judge As Guardianship Scandal Widens 

See Also:
Feds: Stealing from dead gave judge a luxe life in auto exec's home

Detroit judge, 3 others charged in alleged scheme to steal thousands from vulnerable and incapacitated people

Press Release: Sitting Judge and Three Others Charged with Scheme to Steal Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars from Vulnerable and Incapacitated Wards 

Detroit News: Detroit Judge Teamed With 2 Criminals to Help Buy And Sell Homes of the Vulnerable

FBI probe of Detroit probate court could lead to indictment

Court finds probate system did not deprive residents of rights

By: BridgeTower Media Newswires March 4, 2026

DETROIT, MI — Where a plaintiff has alleged that the state, through the probate court system and related agencies, has systematically deprived elderly Michigan residents, including her parents, of their right to manage their own affairs by forcing them into guardianships and conservatorships, the complaint must be dismissed because it is untimely under the Court of Claims Act.

“… Plaintiff’s complaint, the first notice of her action, was filed more than 14 months after her claims accrued. Because plaintiff did not timely file a notice of intent or complaint, the Court must dismiss her action. …

“… This action belongs to plaintiff’s parents, not her, and as plaintiff is not an attorney, she could not legally raise these claims on her parents’ behalves. This too supports dismissal of plaintiff’s complaint. …

“… This is an impermissible collateral attack that must be dismissed.”

Sanders v. State of Michigan; MiLW No. 04-110262, 6 pages; Court of Claims; Redford, J. 

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Court finds probate system did not deprive residents of rights 

$700k theft was stepdaughter’s scheme with boyfriend, Fresno DA says at trial

By Robert Rodriguez

As the population ages, older Americans are being victimized in a variety of ways. What can be done to recognize and prevent elder abuse? By Craig Kohlruss

Two former Fresno County residents are on trial this week, accused of taking advantage of a Sanger businessman and draining his estate of more than $700,000 over several years. 

Gina Abercrombie and her boyfriend, Justin D. Teel, both of Pleasanton in Alameda County, are charged with several felonies, including theft from an elder adult and obtaining money, labor or property by false pretenses.

If convicted, they each face more than five years in prison. 

During her opening statements, Senior Deputy District Attorney Lisa Urrizola shared with the jury the story of Randy Hansen, a successful entrepreneur who scratched out a tidy fortune following in the footsteps of his father, Emery Carol Hansen, a professional golfer who developed the 18-hole Sherwood Forest Golf Club in 1968. 

The Hansens also built a mobile home park and invested in real estate including homes in Bass Lake and Aptos. 

Randy Hansen stood to inherit the family fortune after his parents and brother passed away. His wife Deborah Hansen passed away in 2017, and that is when the trouble began, Urrizola told the jury.

At the center of the family tension were his daughters, Stacy Hansen Dovali, Randy Hansen’s biological daughter, and his stepdaughter, Gina Abercrombie, and her boyfriend, Justin Teel, whom she had known since high school. 

“After Deborah dies, Gina launches a full-on assault,” Urrizola said. “She completely went after Randy’s estate, cash and properties. And within six days, she had taken Randy to a lawyer to create a new trust.” 

Urrizola accuses Abercrombie and Teel of taking advantage of Hansen’s health. Hansen was suffering from diabetes, heart disease, prostate cancer and a stroke. 

She told the jury that Abercrombie convinced Hansen to give her authority over his finances through a power of attorney document. And she was also declared the proxy for Hansen’s health director in the event he was unable to make his own medical decisions. 

Teel is accused of lying to a real estate agent to sell one of Randy Hansen’s homes in Bass Lake. Teel allegedly told a real estate agent that Hansen signed a real estate contract to sell the home. Urrizola said Hansen was not aware the home was being sold. 

“The evidence will show that this was just a vehicle for Miss Abercrombie to funnel money out of the property,” she said. “It was just more gratuitous theft of Mr. Hansen’s money.” 

After his stroke, Hansen was supposed to be taken to therapy , but he never went. Instead, Abercrombie drove him to Aptos where a notary public was waiting for them to sign property deeds.

Urrizola claims Hansen signed several property deeds including for the mobile home park and a home in Bass Lake to a trust that Abercrombie had access to. 

Hansen died on March 4, 2020. He was 74 years old. 

Abercrombie’s lawyer, Chuck Smith, said his client tells a different version of her relationship with her stepfather. 

“Randy Hansen loves both his biological daughter and his step-daughter a great deal,” Smith said. “And in a lot of ways his step-daughter Gina was much more a part of his life than Stacy was. So when Stacy’s grandmother Jane Hansen died, Stacy went on a campaign for the next 15 years to make sure all of the estate went to her to the exclusion of all the other beneficiaries.” 

The trial resumes on Tuesday .

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$700k theft was stepdaughter’s scheme with boyfriend, Fresno DA says at trial 

Jury awards $110M in death of 100-year-old at Sacramento assisted living facility

The family said the verdict cannot bring their mother back, but they hope it will lead to stronger protections for seniors living in assisted living facilities.

Author: Staff (ABC10) 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A jury has awarded the family of Mildred Hernandez $110 million after finding an assisted living facility in Sacramento responsible for her death.

Jurors determined that Greenhaven Estates in Sacramento was responsible for the death of Hernandez, who was 100 years old and living at the facility with Alzheimer’s disease. She was known to be at risk of wandering.

In February 2019, Hernandez left the facility during the early morning hours and was later found unresponsive outside in about 38-degree weather. She died from hypothermia.

Attorneys for the Hernandez family argued the companies responsible for the facility prioritized profits over safety, which they said led to understaffing and inadequate protections for vulnerable residents.

The family said the verdict cannot bring their mother back, but they hope it will lead to stronger protections for seniors living in assisted living facilities.

ABC10 reached out to Greenhaven Estates for comment on the verdict but did not receive a response. 

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Jury awards $110M in death of 100-year-old at Sacramento assisted living facility 

Warrants state Ring doorbell video captured elderly woman's alleged abuse by live-in caregiver

Officers were given multiple Ring doorbell videos from an upstairs neighbor of Pullins verbally and physically assaulting the 87-year-old woman. 

Author: Ontaria Woods

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — A caregiver is in custody after an investigation revealed elder abuse, according to a Facebook post from the Sandy Springs Police Department.

According to warrants, Jeanine Pullins worked as a caregiver for and lived with an 87-year-old woman, who was abused on multiple occasions.

The document states that on Mar. 1, officials in Fulton County launched an investigation into elder abuse in Sandy Springs at a condominium in the 1900 block of Huntingdon Chase. When officers arrived at the location, they were given multiple Ring doorbell videos from an upstairs neighbor of Pullins verbally and physically assaulting the woman. 

In the first video given to the police, they say the 87-year-old appears scared and hesitant to come down the stairs, and she expresses that to Pullins, who tells her, "Oh come on," with the woman replying, "I can't."

Pullin goes on to snatch the 87-year-old toward the first step, telling her to grab the rail, "Like you have done 18,00 times before," and according to the document, the woman replied, "Please don't hurt me." 

That incident took place in May 2024, according to warrants.

Another video obtained showed the older woman crying against the hallway wall, with both hands raised. Pullins can be heard threatening her about running her mouth, with warrants stating Pullins profanely told the woman that she would beat her and to "shut her ******* mouth."

In the warrant, officers reiterated how the 87-year-old woman suffered clear mental anguish and yelled out in pain after being shoved into the wall. They also say Pullins pulled the woman's shorts down in the hall against her will.

Police described another video showing the woman visibly upset with Pullins, who forced her to walk down the hallway toward another unit. Warrants state Pullins being heard chastising the victim, telling her, "You scream for her every night and day, get your *** to that door, if you scream or say anything in front of that door." 

Officers note that Pullins' actions upset the victim because, according to the warrant, the resident behind the door Pullins was referring to had called Adult Protection Services and the police before on Pullins due to past incidents. 

Authorities say the resident has a doorbell camera, with Pullins not being aware that the camera captured all movement in the hallway, not just the movement at the front door.

Warrants state that Pullins pretended to make a phone call that would get the 87-year-old in trouble, causing the older woman to become very distraught, and when the woman began to cry, Pullins aggressively covered her mouth, which caused her to scream in pain.

Sandy Springs Police arrested Pullins after three arrest warrants for felony abuse and neglect of an elderly person, and a search warrant was issued on Mar. 4 and executed the following day.

Medical personnel took the 87-year-old woman to Northside Hospital in Atlanta, according to warrants, where she showed police and a victim advocate contusions to her nose, face, and legs. She also detailed abuse that included being hit in the head with an astray, a remote control, and being kicked.

It was revealed that most of the abuse either occurred inside the condo or in the hallways of the complex, according to the document.

Pullins was taken to the Fulton County Jail, where she faces four counts of elder abuse/ neglect and two counts of battery against a person over the age of 65. 

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Warrants state Ring doorbell video captured elderly woman's alleged abuse by live-in caregiver 

Trump awards 100-year-old Navy pilot with Medal of Honor | State of the Union

 

First lady Melania Trump presented 100-year-old veteran Navy pilot Capt. Royce Williams with the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions in a secret mission during the Korean War. President Donald Trump says the veteran “is finally getting the recognition he deserves." 

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Trump awards 100-year-old Navy pilot with Medal of Honor | State of the Union

Seniors remain stranded at Pinellas Park apartment building after elevator breaks down again

By Blake DeVine

Elevator repairs underway at senior apartments

FOX 13's Blake DeVine reports. 

The Brief

• • An elevator at the St. Giles Manor II in Pinellas Park has been out of service for nearly three weeks, leaving some seniors unable to leave the six-story building.
  • Maintenance crews briefly restored service to the elevator on Wednesday night, before it broke down within hours.
  • Many residents say this ongoing outage is disrupting their medical care and ability to get groceries.

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - Seniors living at an apartment complex in Pinellas Park have been without a working elevator for 19 days. This breakdown has left some residents at St. Giles Manor II unable to leave the six-story building.

What we know:

The elevator briefly resumed service on Wednesday night after repairs by maintenance crews. Only a few hours later, the elevator broke down once again.

Several seniors say this is more than an inconvenience as many depend on the elevator for medical appointments, groceries and daily activities.

What they're saying:

Sharon Dugger lives on the building’s fourth floor and relies on a portable oxygen tank. The 67-year-old said the outage has made routine tasks difficult.

"It’s really rough, because I have this oxygen machine," she said. "I get short on breath, plus I have to carry the portable."

To make her doctor’s appointments, Dugger has been forced to navigate the stairs while carrying her oxygen equipment.

"I feel stuck here," she said. "I would like to go downstairs when I want to get fresh air."

Two mechanics worked throughout Wednesday to repair the elevator.

"They say they’ll bring different parts," Dugger said. "Nothing is working, and it’s just ridiculous."

Sheryn Chambers, who lives in the building, hasn’t seen some of her neighbors on upper floors since late January.

"They’re not even compensated," she said. "No one’s going to offer on their payroll to bring up their groceries."

The other side:

For the second straight day, the front office at St. Giles Manor II was empty. Signs on the elevator remained posted, promising a repair by Tuesday, Feb. 17.

FOX 13 made several calls and left voicemails for SPM Property Management, which still have not been returned.

Carlos Reyes said the silence adds to his frustration.

"Toss the keys and close the building or something," he said. "We need elevators to go and give services to people that really need it."

The Source: Information for this story came from signs from SPM Property Management, interviews with residents at St. Giles Manor II and reporting from previous coverage on FOX 13 News.

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Seniors remain stranded at Pinellas Park apartment building after elevator breaks down again