Nevada Guardian April Parks Robbed the Elderly the Courts Handed Her, and Got 16 to 40 Years

By M.A. Rothman

The short version

• Clark County Judge Tierra Jones sentenced professional guardian April Parks on Jan. 4, 2019, to 16 to 40 years in prison for exploiting elderly wards.
• Parks pleaded guilty to elder exploitation, theft and perjury counts, and the case carried restitution of $559,205.32, with her partner and husband also sentenced.
• Families said they want more accountability for the judges who approve guardianships, and Nevada has changed its guardianship law since the investigation began.

April Parks was handed control over the lives of elderly and disabled Nevadans by the courts, and she used that power to rob them. On January 4, 2019, Clark County District Judge Tierra Jones sentenced the former professional guardian to 16 to 40 years in Nevada state prison in what prosecutors called the state’s largest elder exploitation case. The story is making the rounds again, and it deserves to, because the system that put Parks in charge of those people never fully answered for its part.

Parks owned A Private Professional Guardian, LLC, a business based in Boulder City. According to the Nevada Attorney General’s office, she and her co-defendants used the company to financially exploit the elderly wards a court had appointed them to protect. Her business partner, Mark Simmons, and her husband, Gary Neal Taylor, were sentenced the same day.

“How is that not harm?”

Victims packed the Las Vegas courtroom for a hearing that ran nearly four hours. Parks, shackled and seated, kept her head turned and never looked their way, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. When she spoke, she told the judge she accepted responsibility “but never intended harm,” that “things could have been done better,” and that she had a “great passion” for guardianship.

Judge Jones wasn’t buying it. “You told us you never meant any harm,” she told Parks, according to KTNV 13 Action News. “But after hearing these stories of people Scotch taping their shoes, people being charged for Christmas gifts, and nothing to eat, how is that not harm?” She called Parks’ conduct “absolutely shocking” and “downright offensive.”

She was not a guardian to me. She did not protect me. As each day passed, I felt like I was in a grave, buried alive.

The victims explained why. Herman “Bill” Mesloh, who is blind, said Parks first visited him at a rehabilitation center in late 2013, and that he was involuntarily isolated from his wife, Kathy, for six months. “There are some evil people in this world,” he said. “And April Parks is a predator of the worst kind.” Barbara Ann Neely said Parks cut her off from family and friends: “She was not a guardian to me. She did not protect me. As each day passed, I felt like I was in a grave, buried alive.”

Larry Braslow told the court that a decades-old family address book vanished while Parks was in charge of his mother, along with his father’s footlocker of military uniforms. Victims described losing their life savings and feeling like prisoners. And in one of the most disturbing details of the case, KTNV reported that a storage locker was found holding urns with the ashes of some of Parks’ clients who had died.

Karen Kelly, Clark County’s public guardian, read a long list of victims who spent their final years in “intense anxiety and anguish.” Her summary of Parks was brutal: “She didn’t see them as people. They were paychecks.”

The Norths

The case that drew national attention was that of Rudy and Rennie North, a retired Las Vegas couple. As The New Yorker reported in 2017, and the Vera Institute of Justice summarized, Parks showed up at their home in 2013 claiming a court order required them to move to an assisted-living facility. Her assistant threatened to call the police if they refused. They were gone in about 35 minutes, and their daughter, Julie, wasn’t told.

The temporary guardianship was made permanent after a cursory 10-minute hearing. Parks then sold much of the Norths’ property, including Renoir lithographs and Rudy’s car, and moved their savings into her own account. When Julie tried to help, Parks called the police and Julie was cited for trespassing. Only after a 2015 hearing found Parks had sold the couple’s belongings without proper approval, and a judge suspended her guardianship, were the Norths able to leave the facility and move in with their daughter.

At sentencing, Rennie North had cancer and was too sick to attend. Rudy and Julie were there. Rudy compared Parks to Adolf Hitler and told the court, “This lady should be banished.”

The sentences

Parks pleaded guilty in November 2018. She had originally faced more than 200 felony counts. According to the Attorney General’s office, the outcome broke down this way:

• April Parks: pleaded guilty to two counts of elder exploitation, two counts of theft and one count of perjury in the main case; sentenced to 192 to 480 months, with a concurrent 72 to 180 months in a second case.
• Mark Simmons: 84 to 216 months, plus a concurrent 48 to 120 months in the second case.
• Gary Neal Taylor: 24 to 60 months, the term his plea agreement jointly recommended.
• Restitution of $559,205.32.

The state had asked for even more: 307 to 768 months for Parks. Her attorney, Noel Palmer Simpson, pleaded guilty to one count of elder exploitation in the second case, which involved an elderly couple exploited through guardianship between December 2010 and May 2017; the court continued Simpson’s sentencing to a later date. Parks, Simmons and Taylor had been in custody since March 2017.

Then-Attorney General Adam Laxalt said the sentencing “sends a strong message to those looking to exploit our vulnerable elderly.” The case was investigated jointly by his office and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

The judges who signed off

Parks didn’t sneak into these people’s lives. She was invited in by the court. She often served as the surrogate decision-maker for 50 to 100 elderly and mentally incapacitated people at a time, the Review-Journal reported, with full control over their finances, estates and medical decisions. According to the Vera Institute’s summary of The New Yorker’s reporting, it was routine in Clark County for guardians to petition for temporary guardianship without notifying the person who was about to lose their rights.

That’s why the families left the courtroom unsatisfied. KTNV reported that they called the sentence a step in the right direction, but they wanted more change, especially more accountability for the judges who approve guardianship agreements. Nevada has changed its guardianship law in the years since the station began investigating the system, KTNV noted. But a prison sentence for one guardian doesn’t explain how a family court handed one woman the keys to so many lives with so little scrutiny.

Every family with an aging parent should read this case closely. Guardianship is meant to be a shield for people who can’t protect themselves. In Clark County, it became a legal way to take away their homes, their savings and their freedom, and the people who were supposed to check it waved it through.

April Parks is behind bars where she belongs, but the court system that rubber-stamped her guardianships owes those families an accounting of its own.

Editor’s note: This article covers a January 2019 sentencing that drew renewed attention in October 2026. 

Full Article & Source:
Nevada Guardian April Parks Robbed the Elderly the Courts Handed Her, and Got 16 to 40 Years 

See Also:
Ex-Nevada guardian pleads guilty to exploitation, theft charges

UPDATE: Private guardian April Parks behind bars in Las Vegas 

Family sees first victory in guardianship case

BREAKING: Private Guardian April Parks Found Guilty Of Fraud, Theft, And Conversion
 
Steve Miller: The Story of Elizabeth Indig 
 
Elderly couple fights guardianship system
 
The Vegas Voice: Guardianship, Part 3: NOW GET RESULTS!
 
Steve Miller: Jared Shafer's Clark County Family Court Lackeys Removed From All Guardianship Cases
 
Contact 13 Investigates: Guardian Gouging?
 
Steve Miller on the Removal of Nevada Private Guardian April Parks
 
Couple liberated from guardianship system
 
New Family Court Judge Puts Immediate Stop To Elder Abuse And Exploitation By For-Hire "Guardians" Jared Shafer And April Parks
 
Steve Miller: The Story of Elizabeth Indig

  Steve Miller: A Message From the Son-in-Law of an Exploited Ward of the Clark Co. (Nevada) Family Court
 
Boulder City police investigate guardianship cases
 
Steve Miller: Judge Steel Frees Three "Wards" From Exploitive Court Ordered Guardianship On Same Day
 
Dan Roberts, The Vegas Voice on Private Guardian April Parks: She Had the Dogs Killed
 
Families Caught up in Guardianship Losing Their Homes
 
Steve Miller: "Guardian" April Parks Home and Office Raided by Police and Nevada AG
 
Search warrants served as police investigate guardianship exploitation
  Contact 13: Judge in guardianship cases recuses herself
 
Guardianship Commission to ask for criminal investigations
 
Steve Miller: Embattled Private Guardian April Parks Censured For Exploiting The Elderly, Mastermind Jared Shafer Stays Under The Radar - For Now

Clark County Employee Indicted For Stealing Money From The Estates Of Deceased County Residents

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

For Immediate Release

U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Nevada

LAS VEGAS – A Clark County employee, who used her position with the County to gain access to the financial accounts of deceased Clark County residents, made her initial appearance in court today on a federal indictment that charged her with three counts of laundering the proceeds of her scheme to bilk the estates of the deceased residents for tens of thousands of dollars. 

According to allegations in the indictment, TinaTheresa Poto-Nunu was employed by the Clark County Public Guardian’s Office where she unlawfully gained access to the financial information of deceased Clark County residents whose estates were administered by the Clark County Public Administrator. According to the indictment, Poto-Nunu then used that information to gain access to the financial accounts of the deceased individuals and then fraudulently transferred money from those accounts to pay down a credit card account she used for her personal expenses such as travel and rent.

Poto-Nunu is charged with one count of money laundering and two counts of money transactions in criminally derived property. If convicted of all counts, the statutory maximum penalty is 40 years in prison and a $750,000 fine. A federal judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada, Special Agent in Charge Christopher S. Delzotto for the FBI Las Vegas Division, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jarom Gregory for the IRS Criminal Investigation's Phoenix Field Office made the announcement.

This case was investigated by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Afroza Yeasmin is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

Source:
Clark County Employee Indicted For Stealing Money From The Estates Of Deceased County Residents 

FOX5 Investigates Update: Las Vegas woman sentenced for exploiting elderly neighbor

By Lisa Sturgis

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — It’s the final chapter in a case of fraud FOX5 Investigates first told you about in January. Tuesday, a judge sentenced a Las Vegas Valley woman to a much stiffer penalty than typical for exploiting her elderly neighbor and taking everything he owned.

“We have a situation here where you signed legal documents with a power of attorney you never should have had in the first place, where you ran up credit cards, where you stole identity, where your sold a trailer, or mobile home, knowing that it was not yours to sell and planning on keeping the money, so this is a long process of weeks or months,” said Clark County District Court Judge Crystal Eller in addressing Ursula “Bobbi” Lichtenstein.

Judge Eller took prosecutors’ recommendations and sentenced Lichtenstein to nine months in jail plus two years’ probation.

Lichtenstein pleaded guilty to elderly exploitation in May. She sold Robert Cartagena’s mobile home after gaining financial power of attorney. She also disposed of his belongings and drained his bank accounts, leaving him in what his neighbors called hospice care.

Robert Dekken, the manager of the Las Vegas Jaycees Senior Community Park, contacted FOX5 Investigates after Cartagena disappeared from the park, only to surface in the long-term care facility weeks later. More than a year after that, police arrested Lichtenstein, and the Clark County District Attorney’s Office moved forward with an aggressive prosecution. However, they found their sentencing options limited.

“It’s shocking that in Nevada, there is a shocking amount of unlimited money that you can steal from anyone, whether it’s an elderly person or a vulnerable person, any private citizen, anyone, you can steal $50 million from someone, go to trial, get convicted, and it’s still a probational offense,” said the prosecutor.

And the amount stolen from Cartagena was not the only offense of which her neighbors accused her.

“She’s been a persistent threat to the safety, well-being, and integrity of our entire community. She’s harassed staff and residents, manipulated elderly individuals into giving her financial power of attorney over them, and has inserted herself repeatedly into medical emergencies under the guise of helping when in truth her form of help has led to financial control and asset theft,” Dekken told the court.

Residents reported conflicts with Liechtenstein even after the courts ordered her to stay away.

“Ms. Lichtenstein was originally remanded into custody in Justice Court for violating the terms of her release flagrantly and offensively, shockingly offensively,” said the prosecutor. “She refuses to follow any orders given by any court while she’s out of custody. All she had to do was be nice, be nice and avoid the residents of the mobile home park, and she couldn’t do that, she refused.”

Dekken told the court that, at times, it got ugly.

“She has threatened my life on multiple occasions. Blocked me in with her car, I have video of that, pretending to have a weapon by placing both hands in her pockets, attempting to provoke a reaction from me,” he said. “Since I initiated the investigation into Ms. Lichtenstein, she has filed multiple retaliatory complaints against me with Nevada Manufactured Housing and contacted my employer repeatedly in an attempt to have me terminated.”

Multiple former neighbors addressed the court, asking the judge to impose a harsher sentence and to keep Lichtenstein out of their park.

When given a chance to speak, the defendant again denied the accusations despite having entered a guilty plea. The prosecutor noted, she did not offer any apology.

“This is a woman who believes that anything she can get her hands on belongs to her and again feels no remorse for her decisions,” the prosecutor told the court.

Lichtenstein’s attorney argued against jail time, citing positive references from some of her former neighbors, although they did not appear in court on her behalf. The defense also questioned what would be accomplished by jailing a 76-year-old woman. However, Lichtenstein will spend the next nine months in the Clark County Detention Center. 

Meanwhile, Cartagena continues to live in the mobile home park. He’s staying with his estranged wife because the sale of his previous home could not be reversed. He’s awaiting restitution for the $57,000 Lichtenstein admits to taking from his bank accounts.

Dekken says, at one point, the stress from this incident prompted his wife to urge him to quit his job. He’s still overseeing the park and hopes today’s sentencing will afford him and his residents the peace they’ve been seeking for years. 

Full Article & Source:
FOX5 Investigates Update: Las Vegas woman sentenced for exploiting elderly neighbor 

LETTER: Nevada probate reform a step forward

by Poppy Helgren Henderson

Senate Bill 404 becoming law is certainly a step in the right direction (Thursday Review-Journal). For years outsiders were able to cash in dead people’s homes, not making a dime for the heirs. Unfortunately, these independent administrators were able to sell homes to their inside circle who would flip the houses for a higher price. Now there are new steps in the process to limit just who can have the authority to sell homes though probate court.

I hope that soon the Legislature also takes a careful look at guardianship. Statistics show that approximately 1.5 million adult Americans are under active guardianship. As long ago as 1987, Rep. Claude Pepper, a member of the House Select Committee on Aging, said that Congress had known since 1977 that the country’s guardianship structure was in need of intervention.

The takeaway is that for decades the same guardianship system has been alive and well. Billions of dollars of assets are under the control of guardians. Vulnerable people who have worked hard and saved their money, intending their families to have an inheritance, have had their assets diverted into the pockets of guardians and other players. We should not be surprised that the system, which is legally sanctioned, attracts predators who can charge heavy fees and “fire sale” off real estate and heirlooms.

It is imperative that our states and federal government, which purport to “protect” the vulnerable by guardianship, take a deep dive into what is going on. 

Full Article & Source:
LETTER: Nevada probate reform a step forward 

NV lawmakers look to promote less restrictive alternatives to adult guardianship

Alex Gonzalez, Producer

A Nevada bill would make changes to adult guardianship by prioritizing less restrictive approaches.

Sen. Melanie Scheible, D-Las Vegas, the bill's sponsor, explained Nevada law promotes "supportive decision-making," a contract between a protected person and a supportive partner. She said the approach allows people to keep a level of independence and power when making important legal, financial and health care decisions.

Scheible pointed out the new measure would require Nevada courts to first explore the option or other less restrictive alternatives before a guardian is appointed.

"It requires the judge to put on the record, why, if they are going to appoint a guardian, they are doing that in lieu of a supportive decision-making agreement," Scheible outlined. "What about this person's capabilities makes them unfit to be in a supportive decision-making arrangement?"

The legislation would also require the review of guardianships being transferred from outside the state into Nevada. Backers of the bill said state standards are not all the same and want to ensure guardianship is truly warranted. The bill was heard in the Assembly Judiciary Committee this week and has not faced opposition so far.

Jonathan Norman, advocacy, outreach and policy director for the Nevada Coalition of Legal Services Providers, said he supports the measure because he wants people in the state to retain as many rights as they can when receiving medical care.

"SB 346 will lead to fewer unnecessary guardianships," Norman contended. "Many adults and seniors with disabilities find themselves facing the rest of their lives in a court-ordered guardianship, not because they need it but because less restrictive alternatives were not fully explored."

Ellen Marquez is the mother of Alysa Marquez, 22, who has Down syndrome. She said guardianship has been "the default" for too long. She believes while guardianship has its place, it can also strip people of their rights.

"If we all rely on guidance from trusted sources, why shouldn't individuals with disabilities and older adults have the same opportunity?" Marquez asked.
 
Full Article & Source:
NV lawmakers look to promote less restrictive alternatives to adult guardianship

Eighty-year-old Nevada woman pleads guilty to role in fake lottery scam that defrauded ‘vulnerable’ community members of more than $15 million over 6 years

by Rebecca Holland

An 80-year-old Nevada woman, Barbara Trickle, pled guilty on April 28 to running a years-long lottery scam in federal court that defrauded victims of more than $15 million, according to the U.S. Office of Public Affairs (PAO).

Trickle and two others stand accused of one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, a crime which 8 News Now says carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, plus a minimum fine of $250,000.

Trickle and her accomplices allegedly mailed millions of fake prize notices to potential victims from 2012 to 2018. Recipients were told that they would receive a large cash prize if they paid a fee between $20 and $50, according to court documents.

The three scammers were accused of their crime in 2023 as a result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).

“The defendant and her co-conspirators used the promise of sweepstakes winnings to defraud the most vulnerable members in our communities,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the service’s Criminal Investigations Group during the case, according to PAO.

“[We] will continue to aggressively investigate mass-mailing schemes and other types of fraud to protect older Americans from financial exploitation and bring criminals to justice.”

Targeting older adults and those more vulnerable

While Trickle’s scheme targeted individuals of all ages and backgrounds, prosecutors say that many of the victims were older adults.

Trickle was the owner of a printing and mailing business, and supervised the lasering, printing and mailing of the fraudulent prize notices — even directing her employees to collect and analyze data to improve the response rate of victims.

Once a victim replied to the scheme with the $20 to $50 fee, they received a “report” describing sweepstakes opportunities, or what the PAO report described as “a trinket of minimal value.” Any respondents were “inundated” with additional mailers in the hopes of extracting more money. But none of the victims were ever paid the prize that was promised.

In 2018, the USPIS executed multiple search warrants and the Department of Justice (DOJ) obtained a court order to shut down Trickle’s fraudulent operations.

“The Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch is committed to protecting elderly consumers from fraudulent mass-mailing schemes,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov Roth of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, according to the PAO press release. “We are grateful to the Postal Inspection Service for their thorough investigation in this matter.”

Full Article & Source:
Eighty-year-old Nevada woman pleads guilty to role in fake lottery scam that defrauded ‘vulnerable’ community members of more than $15 million over 6 years

Former Carson care facility employee arrested for elder abuse

A former employee of a Carson City care facility was arrested Friday for abuse of a patient, according to a news release from the Carson City Sheriff’s Office.

Kristi Haworth (age not provided) was arrested after a traffic stop in Minden, the release said.

On March 8, a CCSO deputy responded to a memory care facility (not identified in the release) for a report of abuse on an elderly person. The deputy watched video footage captured on a surveillance camera that showed Haworth, a professional caretaker, physically battering an 83-year-old resident of the facility on two occasions, CCSO said.

Detectives contacted the executive director of the memory care facility and learned Haworth was placed on administrative leave and ultimately terminated from her employment. Haworth, a Douglas County resident, was contacted by detectives but declined to be interviewed, the release said.

CCSO detectives, Nevada Department of Public Safety: TRINET Narcotics Task Force and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle Haworth was in which resulted in a probable cause arrest in Minden on Friday.

Haworth is charged with:

• Abuse of an elderly person

• Criminal neglect of a patient

• Battery

Haworth’s bail is set at $5,000.

Full Article & Source:
Former Carson care facility employee arrested for elder abuse

Elderly exploitation victim uses his story to warn other vulnerable seniors

Story by Shawna Khalafi

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Last month, FOX5 introduced you to Robert Cartagena — a 92-year-old man with dementia, who was taken advantage of and scammed out of thousands of dollars.

Now, he’s warning his elderly community to beware of who you trust.

“A lot of it I’ve forgotten, which is probably the best thing in the long run,” said Cartagena.

Cartagena is back with his neighbors-turned-family at Las Vegas Jaycees Senior Community Park after he was taken advantage of, scammed out of thousands of dollars, and left alone in an unfamiliar place without identification.

“One of our residents was exploited by someone that he trusted, and he lost everything. He lost his home, he lost his money, he was basically dropped off at a hospice to die with only the clothes on his back,” said Rob Deken, Community Manager at Las Vegas Jaycees Senior Community Park.

In 2023, Cartagena gave one of his neighbors financial Power of Attorney to help him manage his daily life.

Instead, he says she took it over, racked up charges on his credit card, even sold his house, and kept some of the profits.

“Somebody took over my life and just brought me out there to nowhere’s land that I didn’t know anybody. In a nutshell, that’s just about what it is, taking advantage of somebody else who can’t help themselves,” he said.

Now, Cartagena is sharing his story as a warning to other vulnerable seniors.

“Be aware. That’s the main thing is be aware, especially when you get to our age.”

He hosted a gathering at Las Vegas Jaycees Senior Community Park Saturday to educate his neighbors about the red flags and resources available.

“They’ve been asking about him some people thought he was dead. So we wanted to get him out here so everybody that he’s still here,” said Deken. “He’s not doing as well as he was before this lady got a hold of him, but he’s doing better than when we picked him up.”

Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft also helped organize Saturday’s exploitation education event.

The neighbor who allegedly exploited Cartagena is set to appear in court this month on a felony charge of exploitation of an elderly or vulnerable person. If convicted, she could face up to five years in prison and ten thousand dollars in fines, plus restitution.

Full Article & Source:
Elderly exploitation victim uses his story to warn other vulnerable seniors

‘It’s all about the money,’ Las Vegas family fights Ohio guardianship

by: Vanessa Murphy

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A Las Vegas family is pushing for their loved one’s Ohio-based guardianship to be terminated. Theresa Ferguson, 91, is a ward in a guardianship, meaning a court-appointed guardian is in control of her body and estate, in Ohio.

Ferguson, who suffers from dementia, has expressed she wants to remain in Las Vegas with her daughter, Carrie Meyer.
 
“Your family is all you got,” Ferguson told the 8 News Now Investigators. “You got family, you got everything.”
 
The family’s fight received nationwide attention after Meyer posted videos on social media. Ferguson, who was a patient at Summerlin Hospital in January, wanted to leave with Carrie Meyer when she was discharged. The video shows hospital staff refusing to let Ferguson leave, with one individual referring to the guardian.
 
Summerlin Hospital appeared to be caught in the middle while following the Ohio court order.
 
The 8 News Now Investigators reached out to the hospital during the family’s fight.
 
“Due to federal patient privacy laws, we cannot comment on specific patients,” spokesperson Gretchen Papez wrote in an email. “However, it is not our policy to refuse to let patients leave. There are times, though, when we are legally obligated to not allow patients to leave the hospital. They could be incarcerated at the time of their hospitalization; a danger to themselves or others; unable to care for themselves; or be involved in a guardianship issue.”
 
The day after the 8 News Now Investigators reached out, Carrie Meyer said Ferguson was allowed to leave the hospital.
 
“The guardianship has been a very, very challenging thing in our life,” Carrie Meyer told the 8 News Now Investigators, citing a family conflict as the reason why it began.
 
“Disagreement in family members. That’s usually how it stems, a lot of times money,” she said. “My mom wasn’t extremely wealthy but she did have some money so the root of it is money, to be honest.”
 
In addition to Ferguson’s money being controlled, she was placed in an assisted living facility, where according to Carrie Meyer and her daughter, Chloe, communication was limited.
 
“She doesn’t want to be in a home,” Carrie Meyer said.
 
The Meyers said they brought Ferguson to Las Vegas, which they knew was a risk.
 
“We were at the facility with her and she asked to be rescued and that’s what we did. We rescued her,” Chloe Meyer told the 8 News Now Investigators. “We flew her to a safe haven, my mom’s house and she is completely capable of having her voice heard and expressing her wishes, and it’s been a battle, but we’re now to the point where she is here with us and it’s amazing.”
 
The Meyers said they believe the guardianship is draining Ferguson’s funds. Court records refer to social security and two pensions Ferguson receives. In addition to expenses like the facility, the guardian, who is an attorney, bills for fees.

“It’s all about the money, God damn money,” Ferguson said.
 
“She feeds herself. She bathes herself,” Carrie Meyer told the 8 News Now Investigators. “At 91, a little bit of dementia shouldn’t keep your family from living where they want to live. It’s her life.”
 
There are options for individuals like Ferguson that are not as extreme as guardianships, according to Debra Bookout, the directing attorney for the Guardianship Advocacy Project at Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada.
 
“Think about not being able to make your own decisions. That’s a pretty big loss,” Bookout said.
 
Estate planning documents are vital, according to Bookout. A judge can honor an individual’s wishes, which could help prevent a family conflict regarding the individual’s care and finances.
 
“A happy middle ground would be we recognize you are declining, loved one, and you have wishes that should be honored, maybe an estate planning consult with an estate planning attorney is a great idea at this point,” Bookout said.
 
The state of Nevada strengthened its oversight of guardianships after systemic issues were discovered. In some cases, individuals were criminally charged.
 
The state now requires representation for wards. In Clark County, Bookout and her team represent the wards.
 
“We appear in court on behalf of that person and advocate for their wishes,” Bookout said.
 
The Meyers are asking an Ohio court to terminate Ferguson’s guardianship.
 
The guardian, attorney Justine Winger, filed a motion to withdraw as the guardian of Ferguson as a person, stating Ferguson’s family is making it difficult for her to do her job.
 
Winger also agrees to remain guardian of Ferguson’s estate “until another suitable person applies and is appointed as such in either Ohio (where the ward’s assets lie) or Nevada (where the ward is currently being housed),” according to the motion.
 
The 8 News Now Investigators’ attempts to reach Winger were unsuccessful. 
 
A hearing on the matter is scheduled for March 20.

Full Article & Source:
‘It’s all about the money,’ Las Vegas family fights Ohio guardianship

Carson City deputies make arrest for elder abuse, suspect also in possession of grandmother’s debit card

by Jeff Munson

A 47-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday for suspicion of abuse of an older/vulnerable person, possession of a debit/credit card without consent and other alleged offenses, according to a Carson City Sheriff’s Office booking report.

Stephany Sharee Alexander was taken into custody at 5:34 p.m. following an investigation. She was also booked for suspicion of felony possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to the report, deputies were called to a Bel Air Court residence for a unwanted subject. Dispatch advised the reporting party called to report her granddaughter, Stephany Alexander, was at the location and yelling and screaming at her and appeared to be under the influence of something. A deputy responded to the location and made contact with the granddaughter inside the front room of the home.

The deputy attempted to gather information about what was going on but the granddaughter stated she wanted to be left alone. The deputy instructed her to wait in her room while the deputy spoke with the grandmother, who is wheelchair bound and elderly.

The deputy asked the victim what happened. She said she allowed her granddaughter to stay in her home for approximately a month. Over the past week or so she had been going through all of her personal items and bedroom. She said Alexander has been screaming at her and causing her to fear for her safety if left alone with her, the report states.

She said she is 88 years old the her granddaughter will yell and scream at her causing her heart to beat hard and fast. She stated she believe the woman would hurt her and obtained paperwork from the Carson City Justice Court for a protection order to have her granddaughter evicted. She stated that Alexander had broken into her bedroom and stole her red card and other money, according to the report.

A deputy spoke with a person who is a friend of the victim and has helped her for the past 30 years. He stated he arrived to put locks on some of the interior doors for the elderly woman and witnessed the woman yelling and screaming at the elderly grandmother. He recorded the outbursts with his phone and played one of the videos, at which time the deputy was able to hear the woman yelling and cussing at the grandmother.

The arresting officer collaborated with another deputy investigating, who was also on scene and determined Alexander was verbally and psychologically abusing her grandmother causing fear for her health and safety, the report states.

Alexander was placed in custody for suspected elder abuse. A deputy asked if she wanted some of her property to go with her to Carson City Jail. She said she wanted her purse. She was escorted to her room where the purse was located.

A deputy searched the purse prior to bringing it into jail. Inside the purse the deputy located a red bag with flowers on it and inside the bag located a long orange cylindrical glass tube with a bulbous end and a significant amount of white powdery substance still inside, the report states.

The object is a methamphetamine pipe commonly used to burn and inhale methamphetamine and other illicit narcotics. The deputy also located several small baggies with white crystalline residue inside, a small blue and green plastic container with a small mirror and four tooter straws, a small baggy with three spherical balls that were located inside the red bag.

The woman was taken to jail without incident. A deputy searched through her wallet to ensure no other illicit items were inside. The deputy located the grandmother’s driver’s license and Wells Fargo debit card in the suspect’s wallet. Deputies returned the items to the grandmother, the report states.

Alexander was booked for possession of a debit/credit card without consent, and possession of a controlled substance, both felonies. She was also booked for gross misdemeanor abuse of an older/vulnerable person and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Bail: $5,000.

Full Article & Source:
Carson City deputies make arrest for elder abuse, suspect also in possession of grandmother’s debit card

Man in custody in elder abuse case

A 46-year-old Chinese man arrested Monday in connections with an alleged elder scam didn’t blink at the estimated $10,000 cost of an attorney in court on Wednesday.

Minglong Chen, 46, appeared with attorney Brian Filter representing him for bail purposes in East Fork Justice Court on Wednesday.

Chen is accused of being a member of a group who used threats to intimidate someone into giving them around $68,000.

When asked if he could afford an attorney, Chen asked East Fork Justice of the Peace Paul Gilbert how much it would cost.

Gilbert was clear he’s doesn’t set attorneys fees but guessed it could cost Chen upwards $10,000.

“That’s fine,” Chen said through an interpreter.

“He does have family here who can help him hire an attorney,” Filter said. “I’d like to see if the court will appoint a defender for him in case those efforts fail.”

Gilbert agreed to appoint an attorney while Chen’s family works on hiring an attorney and continued the case to Sept. 18.

Filter said that because Chen is on an immigration hold, discussing bail was academic.

Members of the Douglas County Street Enforcement Team made contact with Chen on Monday afternoon as he went to pick up more money from an elderly person, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

He was contacted and taken into custody on charges of conspiracy, extortion, exploitation of the elderly.

His initial bail set by the jail is $100,000. He also has an immigration hold.

Previous Story

A 46-year-old man was arrested on Monday after an investigation involving an alleged elder scam.

Minglong Chen, 46, is scheduled to appear in East Fork Justice Court on Wednesday.

Chen is accused of being a member of a group who used threats to intimidate someone into giving them around $68,000.

Members of the Douglas County Street Enforcement Team made contact with Chen on Monday afternoon as he went to pick up more money from an elderly person, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

He was contacted and taken into custody on charges of conspiracy, extortion, exploitation of the elderly.

His initial bail set by the jail is $100,000. He also has an immigration hold.

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Man in custody in elder abuse case

2 arrested in Humboldt County on elder abuse charges

By Kevin Sheridan

OROVADA, Nev. (KOLO) - Two people are under arrest in Humboldt County on elder abuse, drug, and fraud charges.

On Oct. 3, detectives with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office received information that a 65-year-old man was possibly the victim of financial fraud. After an investigation was launched, it was determined an elderly man was being isolated from his family while being the victim of fraud, elder abuse, and theft.

Police identified two suspects, 56-year-old Dawson Barnes and 36-year-old Savannah Wilson of Orovada.

Around a week later, on Oct. 12, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, along with Nevada State Police, located the elderly man at a residence on South Valley Road in Orovada. Police found the man living in unsanitary and unsafe conditions, in a state of malnourishment, and lacking medical care or personal hygiene.

Further investigation determined he was being isolated from his family for around six months after he was deprived of his cell phone, laptop, and other communication devices. He was taken to Humboldt General Hospital.

A search warrant was subsequently obtained for two separate residences in the Orovada area, which resulted in the seizure of a large amount of methamphetamine, cocaine, stolen property, stolen credit cards and checks, and personal identifying information of the victim, as well as a numerous guns, including a sawed-off shotgun. They allegedly possessed these firearms despite being considered prohibited persons.

Barnes was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Detention Center on charges of abuse of an older or vulnerable person, being a convicted person who failed to register with local law enforcement, possession of a schedule 1 or 2 controlled substance with intent to sell, and eight counts of owning a firearm despite being a prohibited person, among other charges. His bail was set at $258,780.

Wilson was booked and charged with abuse of an older or vulnerable person, two counts of possession of schedule 1 or 2 controlled substances less than 14 grams, and using personal identity information of another to harm or for unlawful purpose, among other charges. Her bail was set at $58,140. 

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2 arrested in Humboldt County on elder abuse charges

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Guardianships are elder abuse

By Poppy Helgren, Henderson

Separating families is traumatic and unless there are extenuating circumstances, such as abuse, should not be done.

Just as taking children from their parents is abusive, so is snatching the vulnerable elderly from their loving families.

Our country stands by idly allowing large-scale human rights abuses by allowing court-appointed guardianships of vulnerable elderly people, supposedly to protect them. Often these folks have advance directives, powers of attorney and family trusts, which end up disregarded by the courts. Many times those placed in guardianships have substantial assets. After the guardianship is placed, no longer does the ward or their family have any say in health care, personal or financial decisions.

Frequently, property is sold off to pay guardianship fees and attorneys’ fees. Nest eggs saved over a lifetime no longer remain for heirs. Sometimes professionals exploit their position to ransack the life savings of the elderly.

Even worse is the isolation that can occur when guardians use their power to keep wards away from their families. This happens every day in all 50 states.

While we won’t forget the horror of child separation, we also must pay attention to family separation that can easily occur with an unnecessary guardianship.

Full Article & Source:
Guardianships are elder abuse

Elderly man swept away in floodwaters rescued by Good Samaritan

An elderly man was rescued from fast-moving Las Vegas floodwaters by a Good Samaritan

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Elderly man swept away in floodwaters rescued by Good Samaritan

Lawsuit: Woman, 85, dies after falling from Las Vegas nursing home bed, lying on floor for 15 minutes

by: David Charns

Complaint cites wrongful death, negligence as claims

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The daughters of a woman who died after falling out of her bed at a Las Vegas nursing home have filed a lawsuit against the facility, a lawsuit filed Monday said.

Pamela Rumel was 85 when she died on July 11, 2022, according to her obituary.

In June 2022, Rumel was admitted to Silver Hills Health Care Center, a northwest Las Vegas valley nursing home, the lawsuit said.

The morning of Rumel’s death, she fell out of her bed, causing “her to suffer a right distal femur fracture and hemorrhagic shock with generalized weakness, right lower extremity pain, right hip pain, back pain and death,” the lawsuit said.

Rumel lay on the floor of her room “in extreme pain begging for” help for 15 minutes, the lawsuit said. She was able to text one of her daughter for help while on the floor, the lawsuit said. Staff then transported Rumel to a hospital where she died that evening, the lawsuit said.

A doctor, whose declaration is provided in court documents, said Rumel was “assessed to be at significant risk for falls,” adding that “her underlying comorbidities” and the fall “proved overwhelming” to her body and led to her death, documents said.

“The standard of care was not met by the staff at Silver Hills Healthcare Center in development of a care plan with individualized interventions to prevent this fall with significant injury,” the doctor said in his declaration. “The fall led to severe pain in her bilateral lower extremities, particularly affecting her right leg and hip. She also experienced nausea, constipation, and chills as a result of the pain.”

The wrongful death lawsuit, filed by attorneys at Bighorn Law, cited claims of negligence and elder abuse. The civil lawsuit seeks a jury trial and a minimum of $15,000 in damages, which is standard in Nevada.

Representatives from Covenant Care, which owns the facility, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Lawsuit: Woman, 85, dies after falling from Las Vegas nursing home bed, lying on floor for 15 minutes

Nevada AB202 for Cameras in Nursing Homes is on its way to the Governor to sign into law.

Treasa Owens brother was neglected and abused in a Nevada nursing home in Las Vegas. This resulted in his death. Treasa wanted a law for cameras in nursing home and she got a representative to introduce the law and called me. We fought getting this law passed for three months, and we see no reason the Governor will not sign it into law.

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Nevada AB202 for Cameras in Nursing Homes is on its way to the Governor to sign into law.

Clark County fire battalion chief sentenced for elderly exploitation

Steven Broadwell (Henderson Police Department)

By Michael Bell

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - A battalion chief for the Clark County Fire Department has pleaded guilty and was sentenced for exploiting an older or vulnerable person, according to court records.

Steven Broadwell, 52, was taken into custody and booked into the Henderson Detention Center earlier this year.

On Wednesday, Broadwell was sentenced to 30 days in jail and given credit for time served of 30 days. He was fined a total of $178 in administrative fees.

“He has been a battalion chief since Sep. 8, 2018. As one of 13 battalion chiefs, he is responsible for a portion of the eastern Las Vegas Valley, generally east of Maryland Parkway,” a source from Clark County Fire said in January.

Clark County said Broadwell is currently on unpaid leave.

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Clark County fire battalion chief sentenced for elderly exploitation

Guardians’ Abuses Persist as One State’s Easy Fix Goes Unmatched

by  Ronnie Greene

In the Name of Protection: Part 5: A Solution

Nevada has adopted a legal reform that eliminates unnecessary guardianships and seeks to prevent the type of fraud and abuses examined in a Bloomberg Law series. Why hasn’t the rest of the country followed suit?

Across the US, uneven oversight and accountability mar the legal process by which adults are placed under guardianship. The lack of rigor has opened the door to stolen funds, judicial errors, bulging caseloads, and legal entanglements for vulnerable people.

But one straightforward reform could help ensure adults placed under guardianship aren’t abused, defrauded, or silenced. Nevada overhauled its system and achieved meaningful results. Advocates are waiting for the rest of the country to catch up.

Triggered by high-profile guardianship scandals, Nevada in 2017 began requiring independent lawyers be assigned to represent adults whenever a petition for guardianship is filed. This legal help comes at no cost, much like in criminal cases where indigent defendants are guaranteed free counsel.

States typically say adults under guardianship have a right to counsel, but Nevada goes significantly further. It requires that representation come before a petition is approved, that the lawyer’s sole role is to represent the protected person’s interests, and that the legal guidance is free. Court fees pay the costs.

With more than 2 million people, Clark County, home to Las Vegas, is the epicenter of a system in which legal aid lawyers scrutinize guardianship petitions.

The idea was to stop guardians from depriving people unnecessarily of their liberty and stealing their money. “Before the scandal, most of the time the individual and their families didn’t even have notice that this was going on or didn’t have the ability to challenge it,” said Barbara Buckley, executive director of the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada.

When a petition is filed, Buckley said, lawyers start by asking their clients to-the-point questions.

“Do you know a guardianship has been filed against you? And in some cases, they may say yes, this is my daughter and I need their help and this is fine,” she said. “In some cases, they say, ‘What? By who? I have never met this person before in my life.’”

When the client has grounds to push back, Legal Aid Center lawyers press the point in court.

In 2021, they defeated 25% of guardianship petitions in Clark County, according to the center’s most recent annual report. The core reason: The guardianship wasn’t needed.

In January, Buckley said the office had 2,344 open adult guardianship cases, plus 563 involving minors. Buckley’s staff includes 15 adult guardianship attorneys, four focusing on minor guardianship cases, four advocates, and five legal assistants. Its annual budget for the unit: $3.2 million.

Filling a Void

Nevada’s overhaul alone couldn’t resolve all the problems documented in the Bloomberg Law series. But having independent lawyers on the front end, courthouse veterans say, can steer away unnecessary cases and provide protection for vulnerable adults.

Such protections are crucial. Across the US, adults can be placed under guardianship with little warning or legal help; once in, they encounter a system in which guardians are rarely regulated or certified, and where judges often provide scant scrutiny. More stringent oversight could’ve aided Britney Spears, who spent years fighting a conservatorship.

Lawyers like those in Nevada fill a void, providing accountability often sorely lacking.

Nevada’s system is “a wonderful step forward,” said Erica Wood, the former assistant director of the American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging.

She noted that many state laws provide a right to counsel, but that can be “an empty right” unless the court consistently appoints counsel for those without representation and the state covers the cost for those who can’t pay. “Having the right to counsel doesn’t mean the person will actually get counsel in practice–or if they do, often it’s not counsel as an independent advocate but more of a court investigator.”

A December 2022 ABA survey bears this out. At least 25 states say those under guardianship are “entitled” to counsel, have the “right to be represented,” or can request counsel, all standards below Nevada’s mandate. Another 21 states say counsel “shall” be appointed, but that can be murky. Pennsylvania says, for instance, that counsel “shall be appointed in appropriate cases.” Maine says lawyers shall be appointed “when respondent requests” or under other conditions.

New Hampshire, by contrast, says the right to counsel is “absolute, unconditional,” and the state seeks to avoid unnecessary guardianships. Nevada says legal counsel “must” occur.

So why aren’t others following Nevada’s model?

“All of this stuff costs money,” said Alice Liu McCoy, who became executive director of New Mexico’s Developmental Disabilities Council after guardianship fraud left that state agency in turmoil.

McCoy, a former disability rights lawyer, said guardianship is too often a first resort when it should be the last. She agrees the changes to Nevada’s system have worked.

Alice Liu McCoy became executive director of New Mexico’s Developmental Disabilities Council after a guardianship scandal rocked the state.

Photographer: Adria Malcolm/Bloomberg

Legal Help

Across the country, independent lawyers have been the difference in guardianship cases for those who get trapped in the system, Bloomberg Law found.

In Indiana, disability rights lawyer Justin Schrock helped Nicholas Clouse end a guardianship that lasted several years after he recovered from a brain injury sustained in a traffic accident; Clouse remained under guardianship even after marrying, having a child, and gaining work. Now Schrock is working to help Sara Abbott, a young adult with autism whose case was also detailed earlier in this series, terminate a guardianship in which her former guardian billed nearly Abbott’s entire monthly income while questioning the family’s spending.

Georgia Advocacy Office senior staff attorney Julie Kegley helped Kalei Bulwinkle be freed from guardianship in a case in which the local judge was found to have improperly restricted her rights. In Texas, disability rights lawyer Kayla Puga helped Ruby Campos end her guardianship more than a decade after it began. “One of the biggest decisions I couldn’t make on my own was the right to speak for myself,” Campos said.

Without such legal backing and support, fraud or abuse can fester.

In New Mexico, directors of Ayudando Guardians stole nearly $12 million from 1,000 clients, leaving many destitute as the guardians globe-trotted and rented sports skyboxes. In Nevada, a court-appointed financial guardian named April Parks was sent to prison for up to 40 years in 2019 after admitting she stole more than half a million dollars.

Bloomberg Law asked legal professionals to analyze topics including the role guardianship plays in states and what reforms would serve vulnerable populations.

No Traction

With more transparency, abuses occurring in the shadows could come to light.

“All other states have done an excellent job of making sure that investigations like I ran in Nevada are almost impossible to do,” he said. “Because this profit center today is so big.” Experts speculate that guardians control more than $50 billion in assets for those under court control.

In Nevada, the changes have made a tangible difference.

Legal Aid Center lawyer Debra Bookout helped Victoria Gonzales, a 35-year-old woman with cerebral palsy, terminate a guardianship that had lasted more than a decade.

Victoria Gonzales, at left, escaped her guardianship with help of Legal Aid Center lawyer Debra Bookout.

Photographer: Bridget Bennett/Bloomberg

Gonzales had been adopted by her grandmother. But after her grandmother died, another relative became Gonzales’ guardian in 2009. Gonzales said she felt powerless. She later connected with Bookout, directing attorney for the office’s Guardianship Advocacy Project, and, in court in November 2021, officially escaped the system.

“Victoria, we’re going to give you your wish. We’re going to give you back your guardianship,” she recalled the judge saying. Her first thought: “Freedom!”

Now living on her own and working as a movie theater usher, she said she finally feels empowered to make her own decisions. “I feel like there’s a whole bunch of confidence,” she said, “and no one can tell me what to do.”

Full Article & Source:
Guardians’ Abuses Persist as One State’s Easy Fix Goes Unmatched

See Also:
In the Name of Protection, Part 1: The Profiteers: Guardians' Dark Side: Lax Rules Open the Vulnerable to Abuse

In the Name of Protection, Part 2: The Judges: Judge’s Errors, Jail Threats Haunt Georgia Family’s Guardianship

In the Name of Protection, Part 3: The Profiteers: 420 Cases, One Guardian: System Runs Amok on Just $35 a Month

In the Name of Protection, Part 4: The Lawyers: Peter Max’s Bare Ledgers Show Guardianships Drain Even the Rich