Help Free Nancy

This is the happy face of 31 year old severely autistic Nancy Golin, the light of her parents’ eyes, a treasure since the day she was born, a special gift from God.

Years later, after being ripped from the loving arms of her parents, isolated from them, and held as a captive Ward of the State, Nancy’s health and spirit are fading.

She has no rights, not even the right to see her parents. She is afraid, confused, she wants to go home; and she can’t understand why she can’t.

If you read her story, you won’t understand either. Nancy’s health and safety are in crisis. She has suffered severe injuries and trauma while in the "care" of SARC and every day, she slips a little more away.

Governor Schwarzenegger can save her by executive order – one phone call and he can save her life.

Your telephone call or e mail may persuade him to make the call! Please call or e mail Cynthia Bryant, Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs and tell her you want Governor Schwarzenegger to Free Nancy!

(916) 445-4341 cynthia.bryant@gov.ca.gov

The San Andreas Regional Center (SARC), where Nancy is confined, is located at 858 Leith Ave., Santa Clara, California.

For complete details of the tragic nightmare Nancy Golin and her family have suffered and somehow have endured over the anguishing years, visit:

Free Nancy Golin

See also:

Saving Nancy: The plight of an autistic woman to find her home

Hospital in Complete Denial Over Epileptic Patient

California Family and Disabled Daughter Head for US Supreme Court

Call Kurtis: A Life Hijacked

If you suddenly found someone else's name on your accounts, getting your mail and taking apart your life, you'd probably figure your identity had been stolen. But a Sacramento woman found what happened to her is legal, and could happen to nearly anybody.

Kurtis Ming has been looking into this.

Mary Jane Mann says the people threatening her don't wear masks, or carry guns. They wear suits, drive nice cars, and have turned a law designed to protect seniors and the disabled into a club. "They said because papers have been filed, you are incompetent."

Source: Call Kurtis: A Life Hijacked

See also: Call Kurtis: Avoiding Conservatorship

Who's the Boss?

What a Court-Appointed Conservator Really Means:

They are supposed to guard the fortunes of your family members — but find out how court-appointed conservators can con your loved ones out of their home, bank accounts, credit cards and everything they possess.

Source and Video:

The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet

M and J Show

In Memoriam - Stephanie Hordijuk

Stephanie Hordijuk

May 11, 1912- Oct 28, 2006

My Grandparents often traveled from the Ukraine to the United States , and on one visit, my Mother, Stephanie, was born in NYC.

When the war started, my Mother was living in Bratislava , Czechoslovakia . The Red Army was coming and was roughly 90 miles away. My parents packed a suitcase and escaped, taking the last cattle car before the bombs fell. (My father was in the Ukrainian army and held a high position in the Ministry and the family would have been sent to Siberia.)

That was the first time my Mother lost all her treasured things. It took one year to travel to Bremenhaven, Germany to get a boat that my Grandfather had arranged for the family to go to the US where my Mother was a US citizen. We had very little to eat and looked like we had come from a camp.

My parents started again in a walk up apartment. My Mom was going to night school and working in a sweat shop making flowers for hats. My father, an engineer, washed dishes until he could get an engineering job.

My Mother was very good with hats and finally worked for Miss Mary. At that time, women wore hats and Miss Mary’s hats ended up in Bergdorf Goodman’s in NYC and many fine stores. One of Miss Mary’s clients was Jackie Kennedy.

My Mother had a hard life, she worked hard for her money and saved what she could. When she got older, my ex-brother wanted her in assisted living in FL and wanted to sell her house. He drugged her and took her to FL without my knowledge. With a “separate agent power of attorney”, he transferred all of Mother’s money under his and Mother’s name.

I snuck my Mother out of FL and back to her home. He told me if I wanted the money for Mother, I’d have to take him to court. "I am Mother's financial advisor", he said, so I had to apply for guardianship to get at Mother's funds for her to live on and also pay her bills.Mother was afraid he’d take her again.

Instead of appointing me as Mother's guardian, the court s put a guardian third party guardian (a stranger) in place.But my big question is, who guards the guardian? So far, I can’t find the answer. The guardian was not a protector but instead was a predator.

Investigators: The Power of One

Imagine someone locking you out of your own house, controlling your checkbook, deciding how much spending money you should get each month. That's what happens when a conservator or guardian is appointed. Trish Van Pilsum and the FOX 9 Investigators share the struggles of several families who say these people have too much power.

Source:
My Fox Twin Cities

Guardian Gets Jailed

Anne L. Chavis, pleaded guilty to stealing from a disabled veteran under her care while working as a court-appointed conservator. She was sentenced to a year in jail and ordered to pay $92,000 in restitution to eight clients. The fine represents a fraction of the money she controlled for her clients but never accounted for.

Chavis, a former nurse and active churchgoer, ran a boarding home for disabled veterans before federal officials tapped her to become a conservator. Had they investigated her background, they would have discovered that Chavis had filed for bankruptcy and been accused by the nursing board of neglecting clients at a nursing home while she slept in a patient bed. Instead, they gave her dozens of cases, which were rubber-stamped by judges in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

For years, the Los Angeles County court system failed to notice that she didn't file legally required financial reports. Court officials finally stripped her of her powers. But between $500,000 and $1 million of her clients' money has never been accounted for, said John Mickus, a probate lawyer and conservator whom the court asked to step in.

Mickus said Veterans Affairs officials have agreed to reimburse missing money not covered by financial bonds paid by Chavis' clients because federal law holds them liable.

"They can hardly say they weren't negligent," Mickus said, "because they were giving her new cases at the same time they were citing her for contempt in other cases."

Source: Conservator gets 1-year jail term

See also:
Court-appointed guardian gets jailed for preying on disabled vet

Missing Money, Unpaid Bills and Forgotten Clients

Woman Sentenced to One Year In Jail,
Ordered to Pay for Role In Embezzlement

In Memoriam - Grace Connors

Grace Connors
July 17, 1921 – October 13, 2006

Grace Connors graduated from West Pittston High School and was a member of Immaculate Conception Church, West Pittston, PA.

She was beautiful inside and out, devoted to her family and lived an active life, supporting political campaigns, pursuing a strong appreciation for the arts and attending to her civic duties. She was a coordinator for the Red Cross during the flood of 1972. She was an officer of the retired National Association of Federal Employees Union, Pittston Chapter.

Tragically, Mom suffered horribly and needlessly the last five years of her life under unlawful public guardianship through the County Orphans Court, which was in appeal when she died.

For over 2 ½ years, I was not allowed to visit her at the nursing facility holding her captive. During this time, Mom, suffering from dementia, thought I deserted her and did not love her anymore. (Under my one on one care with unlimited medical/health resources, her dementia had improved and further improvement was expected until the unlawful guardianship claimed dominion over her completely thereby enforcing a slow but steady decline.) By the time these brief and regulated visits were allowed, my Mom had deteriorated so much, I did not recognize her.

Because her family was her first priority, the court’s ordered isolation with only limited contact with her granddaughter and only in the office of the corporate nursing facility under supervision, was so very punitive to her.

The closer we got to appeal date, the quicker she declined as the alleged guardian, kept relating that Mom was dying for several months. In spite of being told, allegedly by the so called guardian, that "your daughter is selling your house out from under you" (totally false), Mom only believed her for a day or so and then be right back to talking positively about me. Near the end, when the alleged public guardian agency was becoming fearful of a wrongful death suit, I was offered the guardianship.

Mom was a strong and determined woman but she could not hold out long enough to regain her freedom and rights --- both unlawfully stolen from her. She held on as long as she could but in the end, her only release --- her freedom was gained by her death. She was dehydrated and starved to death after all of her teeth were removed; she died skin and bones after we were forbidden to give her water when she asked for it.

She was my best friend. She was a loving wife and mother, a kind person, and followed the law and advice from AARP, attorneys, etc. by making a Durable Power of Atty. and designating me as her atty.-in-fact, which she never revoked. She had Long Term Care Insurance, etc. My father was a WWII veteran; they paid all their taxes and lived honest good lives instilling the same values in their children.

The court used no evidence -- only hearsay, to destroy and punish her with the orders that benefited only corporate interests, and some "good ole boys and girls" at the expense of her, her legacy, her family and the taxpayers/citizens.

I am compelled to speak, write and inform citizens of this atrocity in the hope that enough exposure of such heinous predatory hidden practices can be stopped by public outcry and action. I will be forever affected by the long term trauma & loss that was unimaginable as an American citizen.

In addition to her husband, James G. Connors, who died in 1986, she was preceded in death by her daughter, Patricia Connors, who also died in 1986. She is survived by her daughter, Mary Claire, and granddaughter, Keely, who miss her more every day until they meet again in spirit. It is part of Mom's legacy to have her and our suffering and losses count for something.
~Mary Connors

See also:
Elders Beware: Ward of the State

Mom's wishes ignored: Daughter questions guardian change by judge

We're powerless despite following rules, say kin

Epidemic Guardianship Horrors

Petition to Strike as Unlawful and Invalid Certain Guardianship Appointments

Family Service Assoc. of WY Valley has registered guardians with National Guardianship Association

Red Flag Warning Signs

There are always warning signs about BAD guardians.....we usually just don't see them until it's too late. Here are some red flag warning signs from NASGA members or victims of guardianship / conservatorship abuse:

1. When you ask the guardian questions, you receive dishonest answers, answers you know are false.

2. A distant relative is the first person to arrive in an emergency situation. This person is too willing, too eager and too happy to help.

3. Absolute arrogance in the guardian's voice making sure that you know he/she has taken over and is in charge - not you.

4. Your family member does not have access to their own telephone, or any outside communication.

5. When you try to visit the family member, you are not allowed to take them from the facility, not even for lunch, by order of the guardian.

6. You no longer have access to any financial information.

7. The guardian's background - a lawyer and/or a professional killer of wildlife, a fish & game commissioner. Disrespectful - above all.

8. An attorney recommends a guardian and gives you the name of a guardianship attorney or guardianship agency. "If an attorney (even one you trust) says anything about a guardian, conservator, mediator, trustee, or by any other name that indicates a stranger to the family who could "help the situation", DO NOT TRUST IT AND RUN THE OTHER WAY!!!!"

9. You are unable to view medical records, speak to doctors or inquire about medication being administered to your loved one.

10. If your loved one is in a nursing home, you are only allowed to visit in the dining room or recreation room, not allowed to be alone with your loved one.

11. The guardian/conservator treats you as an outsider and stranger instead of a relative, friend, or loved one.

12. Your loved one doesn't get his/her mail.

13. The staff at a nursing home or assisted living facility denies you any visitation, saying: you upset your family member.

14. When you try to contact the facility to speak with your family member, you are continually told that they are unavailable to come to the phone.

15. When you visit, the guardian hovers or even employs someone to hover so that you are not allowed private conversation with your loved one.

16. Your loved one appears to be more sluggish and withdrawn, perhaps even dazed.

17. Items are missing from your loved one's home.

18. The guardian/conservator refuses to take your call or answer your questions.

19. You start seeing questionable documents and realize that financial accounts are closed or beneficiaries have been changed. Financial statements have been diverted to the guardian/conservator.

20. There is no record of any emergency contact information or any record that you even exist.

The Kung-Fu Judge

John L. Phillips Jr., a retired Civil Court judge known as the "Kung-Fu Judge", who owned theaters in Brooklyn that were a prominent platform for black activists in the 1980s, has died. He was 83.

In 2001, Mr. Phillips, at 77, announced he would challenge the incumbent, Charles J. Hynes, in the race for district attorney in Brooklyn. But he was declared mentally incompetent after an investigation by Mr. Hynes that some said was politically motivated. Mr. Hynes said the action was undertaken for Mr. Phillips’s own good. A series of court-appointed guardians took over Mr. Phillips’s affairs, but a court case ensued involving allegations that the guardians had mismanaged his person and finances.

Source: Civil Court Judge Is Dead

It was reported that this self-made multi-millionaire who served honorably for 13 years, was destitute and confined against his will to a Bronx nursing home. He was barred from receiving visitors or mail or even phone calls without permission of the court. His property had been sold off in unpublished and possibly illegal auctions. Millions in assets disappeared.
Source: At long last, please set Judge Phillips free

After spending just over two years living in a cramped, foul-smelling room in a bleak nursing home at the outer reaches of the Bronx, the retired Brooklyn judge was finally transferred to an assisted living facility closer to his Brooklyn home.
Source: Court Orders Release of Retired Judge from Nursing Home

The Brooklyn Eagle reported the saga of the retired judge’s guardianship case, along with a potential million-dollar fraud. The Eagle revealed details of an accounting of the tenure of a former property guardian, a report that shows hundreds of thousands of dollars in misappropriated funds. Accounting, filed in Brooklyn’s guardianship court, details irregular financial disbursements by former property guardian Emani Taylor, made from the bank accounts of retired Judge John Phillips, a ward of the guardianship court. Phillips’ supporters hope this accounting could be the catalyst for a criminal probe into what they claim have been years of mismanagement and outright theft.
Source: Were Funds Pilfered from a Retired Judge’s Estate?

It was also reported that the retired judge owed a million dollars in back taxes. Since 2001, the responsibility for his taxes has been with a string of law guardians appointed by the state court since 2001. But for reasons that are not yet clear, the lawyers involved in the case never filed tax returns.
Source: The Tax Travails Of the 'Kung-Fu Judge'

Court-appointed guardians for Alzheimer's-stricken ex-Judge John Phillips failed to file any income taxes for their elderly ward for more than five years - running up a million-dollar bill to the IRS, according to court papers. In a flurry of strongly worded motions, a current guardian slammed two predecessors, Ray Jones and Frank Livoti, for filing no taxes on Phillips' multimillion-dollar estate, which includes some dozen buildings in Brooklyn.
Source: Judge Money Melee - Guardians Lax on Tax

A Brooklyn lawyer had been suspended from practicing as a state panel investigated her handling of the estate of John L. Phillips Jr. The lawyer, Emani P. Taylor, had been accused of improperly enriching herself from the Phillips estate. A panel in the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division called for Ms. Taylor’s immediate suspension pending further investigation, saying she had refused to cooperate with a court investigation into allegations of professional misconduct as Mr. Phillips’s guardian. The panel also found that Ms. Taylor “intentionally converted guardianship funds.”
Source: Lawyer Is Suspended as Conduct Is Criticized

The People vs. the People

A Brooklyn-based filmmaker spent the better part of the last two years compiling a documentary on the retired civil court judge’s legal efforts to restore his once-vast real estate empire, as well as the 2001 election for district attorney. The film tells the story of how a real estate empire worth an estimated $10 million was dissipated, under the administration of a series of attorneys appointed by a state guardianship court.
Source: Film Tells of Retired Judge’s Guardianship Case

See also:
Exactly how corrupt and vindictive is the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office?

What an Outrage! From judge to ward of the court

Court Orders Release of Retired Judge

Erasing the Kung-Fu Judge

Battle Continues In Guardianship Case Of Retired Judge

Out of Order - Ailing Judge's Guardian Stole 187G

N.Y. Court Suspends Lawyer Accused of Taking Money From Judge's Estate