CONTACT 13: Another guardian charged with abuse

Jason Hanson

by  Darcy Spears

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) - Another private guardian was charged with abuse of a vulnerable person on Thursday.

The young victim in the case was the first to come forward and talk with Contact 13 about corruption in the guardianship system.

Jason Hanson's guardianship case was supposed to end when he became an adult. But Contact 13 discovered the court kept it open for seven years after his 18th birthday. And during that time, several so-called professionals came in and out of his life while the money set aside for his care dwindled away.

Darcy: "Did you get lost in the system or do you think it's more sinister than that?"
Jason: "I don't know if I got lost in the system or if it was more underhanded than that. But the system definitely needs to change."

Jason has Cerebral Palsy. He's mentally competent, but has special physical needs as he's confined to a wheelchair.

Susan Rousselle was appointed as guardian by the court to look after Jason when he was 16 after his father died. The court later appointed her as trustee of Hanson's special needs account, which was established for his care by an inheritance from his grandmother.

But a grand jury indictment accuses Rousselle of stealing more than $50,000 from that account and using it for her own personal benefit. She's facing 44 felony counts of theft and exploitation.

Susan Rouselle Indictment by Kean Bauman on Scribd

Former Clark County Public Administrator Jared Shafer was also involved in Jason's case. At one time, Shafer employed convicted private guardian Patience Bristol, who's now in prison for stealing cash, jewelry and more from her wards.

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CONTACT 13: Another guardian charged with abuse

Nevada: Grand Jury Indicts Another in Separate Guardianship Abuse Case

 PRESS RELEASE from Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson
 Issued at 12:23 pm on 03/09/2017

Just one day after the Clark County Grand Jury indicted four co-defendants on a variety of crimes relating to guardianship abuse, today, in a separate case, a second Clark County Grand Jury returned an indictment against Susan Rousselle for her criminal mishandling of the Special Needs Trust account of Jason Hanson.

Ms. Rousselle is charged with 22 counts of Exploitation of a Vulnerable Person (category B felony), and 22 counts of Theft (category B and C felonies). Each exploitation count carries a potential prison term of 1-10 years. The theft counts carry a potential 1-5 years each for the category C and a potential 1-10 years each for the category B.

Jason Hanson

Ms. Rousselle was the legal guardian of Mr. Hanson from the time he was 16 until he was 18. She was then appointed the trustee of his Special Needs Trust account after he turned 18. Mr. Hanson is disabled and confined to a wheelchair. The trust was established for his care by an inheritance from his grandmother.

The indictment alleges that Ms. Rousselle stole more than $50,000 from that account and used it for her personal benefit.

At the hearing today, Judge Gonzalez issued an arrest warrant for Ms. Rousselle and set her bail at $200,000.

“It’s hard not to take this case personal,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Cooper. “When I met Jason I instantly liked him. My focus was to seek justice on his behalf and hopefully bring him some closure in this ongoing case. Ms. Rousselle’s actions will not go unpunished.”

“I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Hanson, and he is a very special man,” said Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson. “He is strong and resilient and we are very pleased that the Grand Jury has indicted Ms. Rousselle in this case. Stealing from anyone is bad enough, but stealing from someone who relies on you, and you are entrusted to protect, takes it to a whole new level. The indictments returned the last two days are proof that we are focused on ending the exploitation and abuse of our most vulnerable citizens.
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