Elder abuse: Seniors swindled out of $2.9 billion each year

Earlier this year, hired caregiver Melissa Renee Murray bilked an elderly Fort Collins woman out of more than $45,000.

 

A caller pretending to be a granddaughter in need of bail money for a Peruvian jail earlier this month tricked a pair of Fort Collins grandparents out of $16,000.

 

Garry Kohler, a former Windsor business owner, was sentenced to two years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to stealing thousands of dollars from his elderly business partner.

 

To the common eye, these cases are just another instance of theft. To those more trained, they’re yet another example of the most common form of elder abuse. A Colorado law will take effect July 2014 and offer new hope for the sobering plight.

 

More than 60 percent of elder abuse cases — or abuse against older adults — involve financial exploitation. Like many of the cases above, most are perpetrated by someone in a position of trust, typically a family member or caregiver with a “sob story” or access to important financial documents or credit cards, said Helen Davis, coordinator for the Colorado Coalition for Elder Rights and Prevention and a local expert on elder abuse issues.

 

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Elder abuse: Seniors swindled out of $2.9 billion each year

Trial begins for Utah chiropractor accused of bilking the elderly

In a flurry of papers, instructions, medical advice and fleeting hope, several elderly patients said the West Jordan chiropractor they trusted to take care of them instead collected their financial information and defrauded them of hundreds and thousands of dollars.

Their stories were all similar: Elderly patients suffering from diabetes or thyroid conditions who wanted a cure, who wanted to believe that Brandon Babcock, 38, could help.

"When you’re old and you’re poor and you’re desperate, you’ll do anything if you think it might help," said Elsie Breault, 77. "I saw [Babcock’s] ad on television. It said he could stop diabetes. That he would talk things over with you and it would be free."

Babcock’s five-day trial began Monday.

He is charged in 3rd District Court with 10 counts of exploitation of a vulnerable adult, a third-degree felony, along with communications fraud, a second-degree felony. He faces prison time if he’s found guilty of any of the charges.

Babcock appeared in court wearing a white collared shirt and pink tie and sat quietly as his former patients — who ranged in age from 61 to 84 — took the stand to testify.

Consistent in their testimony was the hope, confusion and fear they felt in turning to Babcock to help with their medical maladies.

According to charging documents, potential patients were initially treated to a free gourmet dinner where they were shown video testimonials and given information about the chiropractor’s "diabetes breakthrough."

When they expressed interest in the program, some said, Babcock and his staff duped them into signing up for credit without their knowledge or consent. Others said Babcock refused to refund their money despite a 30-day opt-out guarantee and a promise for 100 percent satisfaction.

"How much did that free consultation end up costing you?" the prosecutor asked Breault.

      
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Trial begins for Utah chiropractor accused of bilking the elderly

DPS sergeant fired for 'dishonety'

Aug 15, 2013 5:09 p.m.

A Department of Public Safety Sergeant has been fired after more than 15 years on the job.

DPS spokesman Bart Graves says Sgt. Terry Lincoln has been fired for dishonesty.

Officials say her termination is linked to an on-going criminal fraud investigation with the Payson Police Department.

Payson Police Chief Donald Engler said Lincoln has been under investigation since 2011. Investigators are looking into potential financial abuse of vulnerable adults.

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DPS sergeant fired for 'dishonety'