Pulaski County Man Convicted for Defrauding Elderly Relative

For Immediate Release

U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Kentucky

LONDON, Ky.- A Science Hill, Ky., man, Samuel Turner, 42, was convicted on Monday by a federal grand jury sitting in London for four counts of wire fraud. The jury returned the conviction after three hours of deliberation. 

According to evidence at trial, Turner gained access to an elderly family member’s bank accounts and credit cards and used the funds as his own. With the victim’s money, he bought, among other things, guns, concert tickets, items from Amazon, and items from a gun accessory store.  He also cashed out a certificate of deposit worth over $35,000 belonging to the victim. 

Jason Parman, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; jointly announced the conviction.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Mattingly Williams. 

Turner will appear for sentencing on January 6, 2027. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Mission, focusing on identifying and prosecuting those who facilitate elder financial exploitation.  The initiative is carried out locally through the Kentucky Elder Justice Task Force. Anyone who knows of someone who may be a victim of elder financial exploitation, is encouraged to contact law enforcement or get more information by visiting https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice. 

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Pulaski County Man Convicted for Defrauding Elderly Relative 

Man convicted of elder abuse in Scott County to serve next two decades in prison

Lisa Kuwamura, a former account clerk for the Kauai Sheriff Division, admitted to manipulating computer records to receive unearned compensation.(HNN)

By Jake Pietrasz

SCOTT COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) - A man convicted of elder abuse in Scott County will be spending the next two decades in prison.

On April 27, Judge Zachary Walden sentenced Jesse William Slaven to a total combined sentence of 20 years in prison.

District Attorney General Jared Effler said following a trial on Feb. 13, a jury found Slaven guilty of three counts of aggravated abuse of an elderly person and one count of assault upon a law enforcement officer.

No additional information was released. 

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Man convicted of elder abuse in Scott County to serve next two decades in prison 

Conviction in Elderly Exploitation Case

Posted on February 14, 2025

Franado Ray Brown Jr. has been convicted of multiple charges in a case involving financial exploitation of the elderly. The jury returned the guilty verdict just after 7 p.m. Thursday night in Lee County, following a three-day trial. The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Jessica Horowitz, of the State Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit.

The defendant was found guilty of:

• Count I: Grand Theft from a Person 65 Years of Age or Older, including the finding for the value of the property

• Count II: Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card

• Count III: Unlawful Possession of the Personal Identification Information of Another Person

• Count IV: Exploiting Elderly/Disabled Person, including the finding for the value of the funds, asset, or property

• Count V: Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card

• Count VI: Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card

• Count VII: Exploiting Elderly/Disabled Person, including the finding for the value of the funds

• Count VIII: Theft, including the finding for the value of the property

The victim in this case was a 72-year-old physically disabled adult, who took in the defendant in exchange for room and board. The defendant was to be assisting the victim with his errands, medication organization, and transportation. The victim provided the defendant with access to a debit card for the victim’s necessary purchases, but the defendant added his name to the victim’s credit card accounts, charging thousands of dollars.

The victim never gave permission for the defendant to add his name to the account or use the credit cards. In addition to charges for hotels and bars, the defendant took thousands of dollars of cash advances from the cards.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office investigated the crimes. The defendant admitted to law enforcement that he used the funds to buy Fentanyl for himself and a friend.

The victim was unable to testify but multiple physicians, both local and out of state, testified on behalf of the victim.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 17, 2025.

Samantha Syoen – Communications Director, State Attorney’s Office

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Conviction in Elderly Exploitation Case

Valley Doctor, Assistant Convicted in Multimillion Dollar Fraud Targeting Elderly

A federal jury in McAllen convicts two healthcare professionals for exploiting adult daycare centers, marking a significant step in the fight against healthcare fraud.

by Safak Costu

Valley Doctor, Assistant Convicted in Multimillion Dollar Fraud Targeting Elderly

In a significant blow to healthcare fraud, a federal jury in McAllen has rendered a guilty verdict against Dr. Osama Nahas and his medical assistant, Isabel Pruneda, for orchestrating a complex scheme exploiting adult daycare centers. This case underscores the persistent challenge of healthcare fraud, particularly against vulnerable populations.

Origins of Fraudulent Operations

The fraudulent activities spearheaded by Nahas and Pruneda were meticulously planned and executed, leveraging their positions at Crosspoint Medical Clinic. By offering bribes, they infiltrated adult daycare centers across the Valley, prescribing unnecessary lab tests and medications to the elderly. This not only compromised patient care but also funneled substantial kickbacks to the duo, underlining a grievous exploitation of the healthcare system and vulnerable demographics.

Consequences and Convictions

The convictions of Nahas and Pruneda mark a pivotal moment in the fight against healthcare fraud. With charges including healthcare fraud, conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft, the implications of their actions are severe. Facing up to 15 years in federal prison and fines up to $250,000, their sentencing sends a strong message about the consequences of compromising patient welfare for financial gain. It also raises questions about the oversight of medical professionals and their access to vulnerable groups.

Ripple Effects in Healthcare and Legal Systems

This case not only highlights the vulnerabilities in the healthcare system but also showcases the determination of legal systems to combat such fraud. It brings to the forefront the need for stringent oversight, accountability, and ethical practices within healthcare provision. As the community reflects on the ramifications of this case, it is a poignant reminder of the importance of integrity in healthcare and the ongoing battle against exploitation and fraud.

The convictions of Nahas and Pruneda are not just a closure of a case but a wake-up call. It emphasizes the critical need for vigilance, ethical practices, and stringent oversight in healthcare to protect the most vulnerable from exploitation. As the legal system continues to clamp down on such fraudulent activities, it is imperative for the healthcare sector to introspect and reinforce ethical practices among its ranks.

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Valley Doctor, Assistant Convicted in Multimillion Dollar Fraud Targeting Elderly

Salinas man convicted for duct taping foster mother

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Salinas man convicted for duct taping foster mother

Caretaker ‘preyed’ on home care residents left begging for food, Georgia officials say

By Tanasia Kenney

An Atlanta woman gets a 20-year sentence after she’s accused of neglecting disabled and older adults living in her unlicensed personal care home in Georgia, state authorities said. Getty Images/iStockphoto

Residents of a home care facility were promised “housing, meals and other services,” but were instead left without cash and begging for food, according to the Georgia Attorney General’s Office. 

Now, an Atlanta woman is headed to prison. 

Michelle Oliver was given a 20-year sentence, with the first seven years to be served in prison, after she was convicted Sept. 8 on charges related to the neglect of older, disabled adults living in an unlicensed personal care home she owned, state authorities said.

A Dougherty County jury found her guilty on multiple charges including willful deprivation of an elder person and 51 counts of financial exploitation of a disabled adult, according to a news release.

 Investigators said Oliver, who owned the Miracle One Care Center, also pocketed more than $32,000 from residents between December 2016 and September 2017, all while still depriving them of basic needs. An investigation found residents were often left alone in filthy homes with no furniture, air conditioning or access to clean clothes.

“Michelle Oliver preyed upon some of our state’s most vulnerable and in-need citizens,” Attorney General Chris Carr said in a statement. “She systematically neglected those she had promised to help, all while taking their money but leaving them with nothing in return.” 

In December 2016, Oliver moved several residents from the Atlanta area into “a series of duplexes” nearly 200 miles away in Albany, according to authorities. The Georgia Department of Human Services, along with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and other state agencies, launched an investigation after a complaint from a concerned citizen about the Albany facility. 

In addition to the dirty conditions, investigators said residents were deprived of food despite Oliver hiring a “cook” who prepared meals in the morning “but left before the lunch hour.”

“Due to the residents’ disabilities, they did not have access to their own money and were left to beg neighbors and nearby stores for food on a near daily basis,” state authorities said. 

A financial payee who took residents’ monthly payments pleaded guilty to charges in the case last year, according to the attorney general’s office. 

The residents were eventually moved out of the duplexes, many of which the Albany Code Enforcement deemed “unfit for human occupation,” authorities said.

Albany is about 90 miles southeast of Columbus.

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Caretaker ‘preyed’ on home care residents left begging for food, Georgia officials say

Family convicted Alabama judge stole $25,000 from: ‘I’m poor....I can’t go against no judge’

Doug Patterson, the former Limestone County district judge, was sentenced on Dec. 8, 2020 to four years in prison.

By William Thornton

A Limestone County woman says she has forgiven a convicted judge who still owes $25,000 from her father’s conservatorship account.

“It’s the only way I can release myself,” Jessica Hardy told WHNT.

Doug Patterson, a former Limestone County district judge, was sentenced last week to four years in prison. Patterson, 38, pleaded guilty in October to felony charges of using his position for personal gain, financial exploitation of the elderly and theft.

Hardy’s conservatorship account had roughly $47,000 dollars siphoned off over a six-year period, including $6,000 in one day, the station reported. Patterson already repaid about $22,000 of the money that was stolen from Hardy’s father, the veteran Charles Hardy, who has since died.

 

And that’s not all. Hardy told the station that complications continued when she made a call to the hospital to see if she could visit her dying father, a former marine.

“The nurse was like, ‘Well, Doug Patterson told me he didn’t have any family.’ I was like, ‘What!?’” Hardy said.

Her disabled mother suggested she search for answers. “I was like, Momma, I’m poor. I can’t afford no lawyer. I can’t go against no judge,” Hardy said. Eventually, she heard from the Attorney General’s office.

Patterson stole nearly $73,000 from a juvenile court fund and two of his former legal clients. Prosecutors said he wrote 70 checks to himself from the court fund, which he oversaw as a district judge. He has been ordered to repay the stolen money by Dec. 1, 2029 — about five years after he is to be released from prison.

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Family convicted Alabama judge stole $25,000 from: ‘I’m poor....I can’t go against no judge’ 

 

See Also: 

Former Limestone County judge pleads guilty to theft and ethics charges

 

Disbarred Lawyer Is Convicted in Theft of $1.5M From Clients

A former Jersey City solo practitioner was convicted Wednesday of charges that he stole more than $1.5 million from clients over a period of more than a decade.

A Hudson County jury found Joseph Talafous Jr., 55, of Toms River, New Jersey, guilty of three counts of theft by unlawful taking, three counts of theft by failure to make required disposition of property received, five counts of misapplication of entrusted property, two counts of theft by deception, and four counts of filing fraudulent state income tax returns. All of the convictions were for offenses of the second or third degree.

The verdict followed a six-week trial before Superior Court Judge Mirtha Ospina in Jersey City. The charges carry a term of five to 10 years in state prison. Sentencing is set for Feb. 16.

His attorney, Gerald Miller of Miller, Meyerson && Corbo in Jersey City, said Talafous plans to appeal.

Prosecutors said Talafous used a power of attorney to make unauthorized withdrawals of thousands of dollars from the investment account of an elderly client who lived in Jersey City and from the client’s estate after the client died in 2010.

Talafous was also convicted of stealing approximately $461,000 from a trust set up for the benefit of a young boy in 2005 with funds from a wrongful death suit stemming from the death of his father. The father died in 2001 in a workplace accident when the child, a West New York resident, was still an infant.

He was also convicted of stealing approximately $300,000 from the estate of an elderly Jersey City woman who died in 2009 without any immediate family. She had hired him to prepare her will and had named him executor of her estate.

And he stole approximately $400,000 from the estate of a Jersey City man who died in 2012 and whose family hired Talafous as attorney for the estate, which included several life insurance policies worth a total of more than $870,000.

Finally, from 2012 to 2015, Talafous stole $330,000 that was entrusted to him as counsel for the estate of a Jersey City woman who owned property in New York.

The case was referred to the Division of Criminal Justice by the New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics. The Supreme Court of New Jersey revoked Talafous’ license to practice law by consent in August 2015.

“Lawyers have a duty to uphold the law and protect the interests of their clients, but Talafous treated his law license like a license to steal, sinking to the point of stealing nearly half a million dollars from a young boy who lost his father,” Attorney General Christopher Porrino said in a statement. “This verdict will send Talafous to prison, where he belongs for his deplorable conduct. I commend our attorneys, detectives and entire trial team for building a strong case and skillfully presenting it at trial.”

“This verdict sends a strong message that lawyers who abuse their licenses and break the law will face stern punishment,” Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice said in a statement. “We will not tolerate lawyers who steal from their clients.”

But Miller, the defense attorney, said Talafous has continued to deny the charges and maintained that he did not take any funds he was not entitled to. “There are substantial grounds to appeal,” Miller said, citing evidentiary rulings during trial.

 Talafous’ charges originally included money laundering in the first degree, but that charge was dismissed by the Appellate Division in June 2017.

The Appellate Division said evidence that Talafous used his trust and business accounts to facilitate the alleged thefts by itself didn’t support the charge of money laundering, the only first-degree offense among the 19 counts with which he was charged.

In that ruling, the appeals court said the money laundering statute is intended to be construed broadly to serve its purposes, but it requires proof of something more than an underlying crime.

“The State presented no evidence that the theft was concealed (as opposed to committed) through placement of the money in defendant’s accounts,” the Appellate Division said.

Deputy Attorneys General Janet Bosi and Brandy Malfitano tried the case for the state.

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Disbarred Lawyer Is Convicted in Theft of $1.5M From Clients

Couple Steals Over $1M From Elderly Man With Dementia

SILVER SPRING, MD — A Silver Spring couple was convicted Monday of scamming an elderly man with dementia of over $1 million, according to court documents.

Javier and Ana "Beti" Molina were found guilty of conspiracy and exploitation of a vulnerable adult for stealing $1.2 million from Gustave Shapiro, 99, of Aspen Hill. They gambled $200,000 of Shapiro's money and sent their daughter to college, prosecutors said.

"It's elder abuse, and it's theft. This is a theft by deception, theft by defrauding and theft by coercion," Ramon Korionoff, spokesman for the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office, said.

Prosecutors said Beti became Shapiro's housekeeper when he was 95. She was hired shortly after Shapiro's wife of over 70 years passed away and worked for him for about three years.

Beti became Shapiro's caretaker and convinced him to sign over power of attorney to her and her husband, prosecutors said. From 2013 to 2016, the couple swindled money from Shapiro to buy a car, gamble, put down a payment on a house and pay for their daughter's college tuition.

Shapiro withdrew only $14,000 from his bank accounts in 2012, while $543,000, $37,200 and $231,000 were taken out over the following years. Bank employees noticed the suspicious transactions from Shapiro's account and tipped off authorities, prosecutors said. The fraud was not discovered until after Shapiro died at age 99.

"This is important and serves as a cautionary tale for anyone that has parents or grandparents that may need assisted-living or home health care workers or even cleaning crews coming into their home," Korionoff said. "Be careful whom you trust."

The Molinas both face up to 55 years in prison and will be sentenced in January, prosecutors said.

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Couple Steals Over $1M From Elderly Man With Dementia

Keokuk woman convicted on theft charge

QUINCY, Ill. (WGEM) - A Keokuk woman accused of financially exploiting an elderly family member was found guilty of theft Wednesday, according to court records.

Laura Hawkins was scheduled for a jury trial this week, but records show she waived that right and a bench trial was held instead. Records show Hawkins was then found guilty of theft and is scheduled for sentencing in September.

According to court records, two counts of financial exploitation of the elderly over $15,000 were dismissed.

Police said Hawkins was the power of attorney for a 77-year-old family member who was a resident at Sycamore Healthcare in Quincy. Authorities said Sycamore officials informed them Hawkins was possibly financially exploiting the resident.

Police said the investigation determined Hawkins misused thousands of dollars belonging to the victim.

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Keokuk woman convicted on theft charge

Chatham County probate clerk who admitted theft sues to get her pension restored

SAVANNAH | Convicted former Chatham County Probate Court Chief Clerk Kim Birge has challenged the denial of her county pension benefits based on her conviction.

The challenge was filed Thursday in Chatham County Superior Court for Birge and her husband, Lawrence Franklin Birge. It named Chatham County acting through the Chatham County Pension Board.

It asks a judge to review the facts and hold a hearing to require the pension board to show why it should not be required to provide Birge with her pension.

Birge, 62, worked for the county and was a member of the retirement plan from July 19, 1982, until she was terminated Dec. 2, 2014.

She pleaded guilty in federal court on July 31, 2015, to stealing $232,000 from the court as part of a scheme in which the government said she stole more than $750,000 over a three-year period.

She was sentenced to six years in federal prison and ordered to make restitution of more than $750,000 for her admission to stealing $232,000 from the court.

As part of the plea to the mail fraud count, prosecutors dismissed the remaining counts in the indictment.

A pre-sentencing investigation identified 33 individual victims, two estates and Chatham County Probate Court that suffered losses as the result of her conduct.

U.S. District Judge William T. Moore Jr. said the 36 victims suffered actual losses, adding that none of the funds ever belonged to the court.

He set the actual restitution in the case at $751,715.95.

Chatham County officials contend Birge stole $890,000 from individuals and another $113,000 from Chatham County.

At her sentencing, Birge told Moore she “wanted to ask forgiveness for everybody who has been affected by my wrongdoing. … I am ashamed and embarrassed.”

The petition seeking her pension, filed by attorney Walter Bellow III, said she applied for her benefits under the Chatham County Employees Retirement Plan on Jan. 5, 2015, and was denied on Jan. 26, 2015.

She appealed and was denied March 30.

Her suit said denial of her pension is “unreasonable, capricious and arbitrary and an illegal attempt to exercise discretion which is clearly forbidden by Georgia law.”

The county argued that the pension contained criminal conduct violations of which “are specifically contemplated” in the county’s plan.

Those violations include convictions for theft, sabotage, embezzlement, and fraud.

Further, the pension plan mandates that the pension board “reduce any sum to Ms. Birge by three times the amount of the economic impact of her crime. … That sum is far above that is available for the board to seize.”

At Birge’s sentencing hearing, Clarence Bynes Jr. – one of Birge’s 33 individual victims – told Moore that, “This is atrocious. … There was no fear here. ... This was just greed. Why would anyone do this to young kids. ... Ms. Birge should be ashamed.”

He told the judge he lost $217,000 with Probate Court from the sale of his father’s house. He did not learn of the theft until the day he went to claim the money and was told his money was gone.
“I’m sorry. ... Your honor, this is not fair,” Bynes said.

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Chatham County probate clerk who admitted theft sues to get her pension restored

Judge sets bail for couple convicted of stealing from elderly friend

By DAVID FERRARA
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

A judge ordered $20,000 bail Monday for a couple convicted of stealing their friend’s retirement savings in his last years of life.

The Nevada Supreme Court recently ruled that Robert Craig Ballew and his wife, Ivy Rasmussen, should be given a bail hearing while their conviction is on appeal.

Defense lawyer Tony Sgro said the cash posted would be held and put toward a restitution should the high court uphold the couple’s conviction.

Ballew and Rasmussen, both former Clark County School District employees, have spent a little more than a year in prison after a jury convicted them of bilking their longtime friend Elliott Smith out of more than $150,000 in about a year and a half.

Attorneys for 70-year-old Ballew and his 63-year-old wife have said their health has diminished since being imprisoned on more than a dozen conspiracy, theft and elderly exploitation charges. Ballew suffers from skin cancer and dementia, while Rasmussen has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Smith’s stepdaughter, Sue Sweikert, called the bail “a pittance.”

“I’m thinking justice delayed is justice denied,” she said. “We’ve just gotten more delays.”

District Judge Stefany Miley ordered that the couple also pay $1,000 each per month and remain on house arrest while awaiting appeal. The monthly payments also would go toward restitution.

In January 2015, Miley sentenced the couple to eight to 20 years in prison.

At the time, Sweikert had asked the judge for the maximum sentence.

“They had no sympathy for my parents, who were elderly and in ill health,” Sweikert said Monday.

Prosecutor J.P. Raman asked Miley for a bail of $153,000, equal to the amount of restitution Ballew and Rasmussen were ordered to pay. Since being convicted, neither has contributed any money to the restitution.

He called the health issues “some of the least compelling” reasons to release the couple.

“They were well enough to do the crime,” he said. “They should do the time.”

Authorities said Rasmussen and Ballew became greedy as their careers wound down and stole every penny they could from Smith, who considered them close friends.

Ballew, a teacher who retired after 36 years, and Rasmussen, a guidance counselor who resigned from the school district in November, brought Smith into their home after his wife, Sandra, was hospitalized and under constant care for the rest of her dying days.

The couple used money from Smith, who suffered from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, to make purchases small and large, from charges at Starbucks to checks made out for foreign cars, according to court records.

Smith’s relatives believe the couple took even more than what a jury convicted Ballew and Rasmussen of stealing. At least $100,000 in cash that Smith kept in a safe went missing, his family said, but the jury acquitted the couple of taking that money. In the last years of his life, Smith told family members he was worth about $600,000, with $300,000 set aside for his wife’s medical bills.

Smith did not learn about the theft until a few months before he died, broke, at age 84 in 2010.

In January 2010, when the Sweikerts went to collect Smith’s remaining possessions at the home of Ballew and Rasmussen, they spotted a picture on a bookshelf. It was a studio portrait of Smith’s grandchildren, daughter and late son — the family dearest to his heart.

At his North Las Vegas home, Smith kept the photograph in an elaborate oak frame. In Ballew’s home, the frame had been replaced with a cheap plastic border emblazoned with the word “Friends.”

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Judge sets bail for couple convicted of stealing from elderly friend

Fenske, convicted of stealing $25K from her grandmother, learns punishment

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ohio Nicole Fenske, a Jefferson County woman who was convicted last week of stealing $25,000 from her 93-year-old grandmother, will spend 9 months behind bars.

Investigators say Fenske coerced her grandmother to take money out of the bank.

During her sentencing, she maintained she did not steal the money, and only accompanied her grandmother to the bank.

Her prison sentence begins on Feb. 24.

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Fenske, convicted of stealing $25K from her grandmother, learns punishment