Congratulations to KTNV ABC 13 Action News!

Nominated for a 2016 Emmy award for their News Special: Guardianship Under Fire!
Watch "Guardianship Under Fire"

Darcy Spears Special Report: Guardianship Under Fire

Darcy Spears, Chief Investigative Reporter for KTNV ABC 13 Action News, has been reporting  on guardianship abuse in Nevada all year long.  December 28th, she hosted a 30 minute special titled, "Guardianship Under Fire."  She has won multiple Emmys, Edward R. Murrow awards, Genesis awards and Associated Press awards on both a national and local scale for her unparalleled journalism.

Darcy's most recent honors are two 2014 Emmys. One in the Military category for her series on how the VA is failing veterans when it comes to healthcare; and one in the Health/Science category entitled "Prescription for Pain" about how legitimate pain patients are delayed or denied at local pharmacies.

This brings Darcy's Emmy total to 14.

NASGA hopes Darcy's ongoing series on guardianship abuse brings her another Emmy for her fine reporting all year long on this insidious form of elder abuse which has brought so much pain and suffering to many innocent victims and their families. Darcy's fine reporting brought the depth of Nevada's problems to the national spotlight and raised awareness to our cause.   We are deeply grateful for her giving victims and their families a voice and a platform to seek reform.

Thank you, Darcy!

Watch Darcy Spears' Special Report:  Guardianship Under Fire

Families Caught up in Guardianship Losing Their Homes

Some of the people who need help the most are being robbed of their money and freedom.

Contact 13's investigation of Nevada's guardianship system has revealed double-billing, bank accounts drained and families torn apart.

Now, Darcy Spears has learned some have lost even more.

"Everything in this house is a memory," said Phyllis Moskowitz-Crowe as she looked wistfully around her modest home.

Phyllis has traveled the world, but for the past year and a half she wasn't allowed to step through her own front door.

"All of a sudden my whole life just blew up. And to this day I don't know why."

Spring of 2014 was what Phyllis calls "the beginning of the worst experience of my life."

The then 76-year-old was recovering in the hospital after a fall when the court granted private, for-profit guardian April Parks absolute power and control over her life and estate.

The sign Phyllis put on her door says 'Let Freedom Ring' but the sign April Parks put in the window means quite the opposite.

In fact, when Parks took over Phyllis' home, at some point she stopped paying the HOA dues so Phyllis says she nearly lost the house and everything in it.

"I'm alone. I was independently wealthy. I have no bills. Except I have a small reverse mortgage on my house. That was it! Perfect target!"

The homeowners' association foreclosed on Phyllis' home because the dues weren't being paid.

Full Article and Source:< br/>
Contact 13 Investigates Families Caught up in Guardianships Losing Their Homes

Steve Miller on the Removal of Nevada Private Guardian April Parks

April Parks

KTNV TV ABC News reported [on May 6th] that for hire private guardian April Parks has been stricken from the State of Nevada's list of professional guardians for taking financial advantage of her court appointed wards.

However, Parks' exclusion from the state list does not prevent appointed Clark County Family Court "Guardianship Commissioner" Jon Norheim, or his boss Judge Charles Hoskin from continuing to appoint her, or her mentor Jared Shafer as guardians of the lives and fortunes of additional well to do Southern Nevada retirees.

Hopefully, the State of Nevada will apply the same standards to Mr. Shafer in the near future so he cannot continue to drain the life savings of other wards appointed to him by Judge Hoskin and Commissioner Norheim. The video of Jason Hanson one of Jared E. Shafer's many exploited wards appointed to him by Judge Hoskin and Commissioner Norheim.
~SM

Here is Darcy Spears' excellent news story with video:

BACKGROUND

The video testimony of Jason Hanson, one of Jared E. Shafer's many exploited "wards":




Jared E. Shafer



Patience Bristol

Clark County (Nevada) Leaders Hear More About Potential Abuse in Guardianship System

Contact 13 continues to investigate allegations of potential abuse in the county's guardianship court after we heard from several families claiming the system can do more harm than good.

Clark County Commissioners are listening.

Today [May 5] they followed up with a promise to find out what can be done to better protect people who are deemed incompetent and become wards of the state.

District Court Chief Judge David Barker told commissioners he's also taking immediate action establishing a guardianship hotline to hear people's concerns.

The number for the guardianship hotline is (702) 671-4614.

And the Nevada Supreme Court is forming a high-level Guardianship Commission to look into problems.

Commissioner Steve Sisolak says the message for families who say they've been impacted by the system is clear. "We understand what their issues have been, issues that they raised, we're concerned about those. They've got our attention. It's been elevated to the highest level we can in the state of Nevada which is the Nevada Supreme Court to address those issues."

Source:
County Leaders Hear More About Potential Abuse in Guardianship System

Valley Man Wrestles With Guardianship System

Jason Hanson

Mistake, misunderstanding or intention to mislead? No matter what, one man's life was dramatically changed forever.

Contact 13 shows how a system intended to guard and protect could be causing more harm than good.

When you look at Jason Hanson, you might think he can't take care of himself, but when you talk to him, you learn otherwise.

"I'm clearly lucid. I'm very intelligent. Someone needs to speak up. Someone needs to take a stand."

Jason is speaking out about what happened to him in adult guardianship court, a system Contact 13 discovered he never should have been caught up in.

When Contact 13 started asking questions, the court started admitting errors, like accepting court filings after the court had lost jurisdiction, which they call "unfortunate."

As for treating Jason as an "adult ward" they say they don't know whether that was a clerical error or misunderstanding by the attorneys or an intention to mislead the court.

In Jason's case, no one caught it for seven years until Contact 13 got involved and the case was suddenly closed. While it was open, private guardian and former Clark County Public Administrator Jared Shafer was appointed Trustee from July 2009 through January 2014. A special needs trust was created so Jason could qualify for social security benefits.

"I never asked for Jared Shafer to be appointed," said Jason. "He was court-appointed."

Shafer is currently the subject of a federal lawsuit accusing him of embezzlement, fraud, racketeering and negligence in another case where he was the guardian.

Full Article, Video and Source:
Valley Man Wrestles With Guardianship System

See Also:
The Jason Hanson  - Jared E. Shafer - Story, "Special Administrator" Jared E. Shafer Takes Home and Inheritance from 24 Year-Old Man With Cerebral Palsy

Jared E. Shafer



Patience Bristol