San Antonio Lawyer Sanctioned for Fraudulent Conduct Involving Elderly Millionaire

“The sanctions order is designed and intended to silence the only people asking for a second medical opinion,” said San Antonio solo practitioner Philip Ross.

 

By Angela Morris

 

Photo: Ocskay Bence/Fotolia

A San Antonio attorney will appeal a $227,000 sanction in which a probate judge found the lawyer and his clients “participated in a fraud upon this court” by lying and filing groundless pleadings in bad faith during a guardianship proceeding involving an elderly, incapacitated millionaire. The judge then struck the clients’ pleadings with a so-called death-penalty sanction that killed their case.

The attorney, Philip Ross, allegedly participated in a scheme to have the millionaire’s long-time girlfriend marry the elderly man, and then have her new husband adopt her children, hide his assets from his guardians, lay claim to his property and divert his Social Security assets, among other things.

But Ross said that Charles Inness Thrash is not incapacitated and he argued that doctors misdiagnosed Thrash with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. And now Ross is fighting to restore the millionaire’s legal capacity.

“The sanctions order is designed and intended to silence the only people asking for a second medical opinion,” said Ross.

However, Bexar County Probate Court No. 1 Judge Oscar Kazen described Ross and his clients’ behavior as an “ongoing pattern of fraudulent conduct.”

Kazen’s May 24 order granting a motion for sanctions explains that the guardianship involves Thrash, whom the court in January found totally incapacitated and unable to marry or enter contracts. The court had appointed two guardians to oversee Thrash and his estate.

Ross represented Laura Martinez, who is Thrash’s long-time girlfriend and companion, as well as her children, Brittany and Jose Martinez. Ross also claims he represents Thrash, but the judge has told him repeatedly that he can’t be Thrash’s attorney.

The judge found that Ross, Laura Martinez and Brittany Martinez are jointly and severally liable to pay $187,529 to the guardians, and Ross must pay $30,445 himself. The court also issued punitive sanctions: $5,000 to Ross, $2,500 to Laura Martinez and $1,500 to Brittany Martinez. They’ll have to pay more if they appeal, and lose.

The sanctions barred Laura Martinez from pursuing future claims or offering evidence that she was ever married to Thrash. The judge also struck all of their pleadings that asserted claims or defenses.

‘Fraudulent Conduct’

The order said that in March, Ross and Laura Martinez schemed to make Thrash marry Martinez. Ross was the best man at the wedding and he signed the marriage certificate.

On March 5, Ross filed a petition for adoption that falsely claimed Ross was Thrash’s attorney, and falsely claimed that no court-ordered relationships impacted the parties, when the truth was that Thrash was under a court-ordered guardianship, according to court documents. Without permission from Thrash’s guardians, Thrash adopted Brittany and Jose Martinez.

Separately, Laura Martinez and her children have sued the probate judge.

Later, in the guardianship case, Ross filed a second motion to recuse the judge from Thrash’s case. During a hearing on the motion on sanctions, Martinez testified that suing the judge separately was part of a plan by Ross to create grounds for recusal in the guardianship case.

In February, Ross wrote two letters and then made Thrash copy the words in his own handwriting to file in the court case, the order said. Ross wanted it to look like Thrash wrote the letters, and didn’t tell the court those were Ross’ words, the order said.

Ross and the Martinez family have failed to comply with court orders by interfering with the guardians’ duties, and concealing some of Thrash’s assets, the judge found.

They wanted to gain control of Thrash’s property, and they appeared before a justice of the peace to assert rights under an alleged lease, according to the ruling. Opposing counsel confronted Ross, who admitted the lease document was “reconstructed from memory,” the order said.

The judge ruled, “Respondents designed and carried out a vexatious litigation campaign involving litigation against Thrash and his property, the guardians and the court.”

Read the sanctions order

Full Article & Source:
San Antonio Lawyer Sanctioned for Fraudulent Conduct Involving Elderly Millionaire

Michigan AG 'looking into' concerns about state's adult guardianship system

After a contentious Macomb County case raised concerns about the state's adult guardianship system, the Michigan Attorney General's Office says it is "looking into" the matter, and two Michigan chief judges say they'll be working with the attorney general's Elder Abuse Task Force. 

In a joint statement, Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget M. McCormack and Macomb Circuit and Probate Courts Chief Judge James M. Biernat Jr. said that after a guardianship ruling made by Macomb Probate Judge Kathryn George was called into question, the Michigan Supreme Court will be working with Attorney General Dana Nessel.

#BREAKING Michigan Attorney General opens investigation into Macomb County probate case following @HeatherCatallo report. https://t.co/rU1UZgdqjO

— WXYZ Detroit (@wxyzdetroit) May 31, 2019

"Vulnerable Michigan residents and their families must have confidence that probate courts are following the law and taking appropriate steps to protect their rights," the statement said. 

The development comes a day after Marcie Mitchell told Channel 7 (WXYZ-TV) that when she petitioned for guardianship over her father, Bob Mitchell, and stepmother, Barbara Delbridge, George instead gave the role to the company Caring Hearts Michigan, Inc.  

Caring Hearts Michigan then placed caregivers in the home 24/7 via another company, called Executive Care, the station reported. However, following George's decision, the station reported that Marcie Mitchell and other family members have been kept away from her father and stepmother.

Amid the ongoing dispute, Caring Hearts Michigan told the station in a statement that prior to its appointment, the senior citizens had been living in "dangerous and unsanitary conditions" and are now safe and healthy in their own home, according to Channel 7. 

Dan Olsen, a spokesman for Nessel confirmed Friday that the AG's office is "looking into the case."

McCormack and Biernat Jr. also directly addressed guardianship dispute issues in their joint statement shared Friday. 

Full Article & Source:
Michigan AG 'looking into' concerns about state's adult guardianship system

Chatham County prosecutors charge former Probate Court Clerk Kim Birge in theft scheme

By Jan Skutch

Former Chatham County Probate Court Clerk Kim Birge on Wednesday was indicted on 39 counts including racketeering, theft by taking and violation of her oath as a public officer for alleged thefts from accounts in her office over a two-year-period.

The indictment returned by the Chatham County grand jury identified 18 individual who were alleged victims between Jan. 1, 2009, and June 30, 2011, and it is the first time Birge has been charged in a state court proceeding.

Birge, 64, is currently serving a six-year federal sentence imposed in 2015 for her guilty plea to stealing $223,000 from the Probate Court.

The new charges, obtained on evidence presented by Chatham County Assistant District Attorney Scott Robichaux, charged Birge with racketeering activity by obtaining interest in and control of real estate and personal property by improperly managing Probate Court funds and accounts by forging or altering documents related to disbursements and expenditures for her personal use.

It said her scheme grew from early racketeering involving stealing from existing accounts to “become more sophisticated and created dummy accounts into which she would initially deposit and then tqke the monies from these dummy accounts.”

The indictment charged the Birge “pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to the dummy accounts,” but “has not faced any criminal charges related to the earlier activity of theft and fraud on individual existing accounts, disbursement, and expenditures.”

It then named Birge in separate theft by taking counts for each victim with sums of with a greater or less than value of $500, but did not give a total sum taken.

The indictment theft charged Birge with violating her oath by a public officer with the Probate Court in that she did swear to “well and faithfully discharge the duties of the Chief Clerk of Probate Court (of Chatham County) ... and I will receive only legal fees.”

The indictment stated the alleged illegal activity was unknown to the state until on or about Jan. 4 2017, and is thus excluded from the statute of limitations.

Then-Probate Judge Harris Lewis fired Birge on Dec. 2, 2014, in what was described as “in the best interests” of the court. He had placed Birge on investigative suspension without pay Nov. 20, 2014, during a probe of “discrepancies with the services that you are responsible for handling,” Lewis said in a termination letter.

Wednesday’s action was the latest against Birge.

As recently as two weeks ago in Chatham County State Court, Birge agreed to provide half of her contested county retirement to 11 plaintiffs to settle a civil case.

At issue in the civil case were mental pain and suffering after the 11 victims learns the money was gone from Probate Court, punitive damages and attorneys’ fee in what plaintiff attorney Brent Savage contended was more than $409,000 that Birge took from his clients over at least a four-year period.

And Chatham County Director of Internal Audits Jeannie Alday testified that her expanded review of Probate Court ledgers and related records uncovered about 80 victims, not the 42 earlier identified, between 2009 and 2014.

Total thefts from the court totaled “right at $1 million” plus $190,000 involving another estate, she said.

In October 2015, Birge was sentenced in federal court to six years in prison and ordered to make restitution of more than $751,000 for her admissions to stealing $232,000 from Chatham County Probate Court.

U.S. District Judge William T. Moore Jr. also ordered Birge, then 61, to serve three years supervised release after completion of her custody term but imposed no fine citing her inability to pay.

She remains incarcerated in a West Virginia prison, but is expected to be released next year.

At her sentencing hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Scarlett Nokes told Moore that despite Birge’s battles with both drugs since 2008 and gambling excesses since 2003, she did not seek help until her crimes were discovered.

The case was in court because Birge victimized people who were trusting her to do her job, Nokes said.

Under the terms of her negotiated plea with the government, Birge pleaded guilty to count three of a five-count indictment, charging her with mail fraud and federal program fraud in the scheme the government said lasted between January 2011 and November 2011.

But under federal sentencing guidelines, probation officers can consider all alleged misconduct — including dismissed counts — in reaching their recommendations to the judge.

During Birge’s appearance in court, the judge said he found it a mystery that the 342 checks she had written to cash, 322 were checks for less than $3,000 and only 20 in excess of that number.

When Moore suggested that her conduct suggested she had a reason for the check sums, Birge responded, “I didn’t try to hide anything from anyone. ... Much of the time I didn’t know what I was doing.

“I can’t explain why I did what I did, and I’m sorry and I just pray for mercy.”

Full Article & Source:
Chatham County prosecutors charge former Probate Court Clerk Kim Birge in theft scheme

See Also:
Attorney tells jury Kim Birge stole more than $1 million from Savannah victims

Former clerk Kim Birge sentenced to six years in federal custody, ordered to make restitution

UPDATE: Ex-Probate clerk Kim Birge to plead guilty in theft case on Friday

Kim Birge pleads not guilty to Probate Court fraud charges 

Former Probate Court clerk Kim Birge indicted in theft of more than $700,000 from the court

Man sentenced to prison after swindling elderly couples out of millions

FLINT, Mich. -- A Grand Blanc man was sentenced to serve up to a maximum of 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of embezzlement over $100,000.

Jason Bescoe, 48, was sentenced Wednesday.

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said Bescoe swindled at least 10 clients of more than $4 million in a fraudulent financial investment scheme.

The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint about Bescoe in 2017. There were allegations that he was embezzling money from clients who had trusted him to handle their financial investments.

“Embezzlement cases can be complex with thousands of documents and records to sort through, analyze, and piece together,” said Leyton. “I am pleased that with a lot of hard work by my staff and investigators from the Genesee County Sheriff Office’s Elder Abuse Task Force we were able to convict Jason Bescoe and hold him accountable for his actions while at the same time securing restitution for victims who had stood to lose a lot of their hard earned money."

Full Article & Source:
Man sentenced to prison after swindling elderly couples out of millions

'I just want my parents back.' Woman says company imprisoned her parents in their own home

UTICA, Mich. (WXYZ) — A local woman says her parents have been imprisoned in their own home by their caregivers and she wants to know why a Macomb County judge is allowing it to happen. While 7 Investigator Heather Catallo was looking into this story, the caregivers even called the cops on her.

When you become someone's guardian and conservator, you have total power over that person: You can make medical and legal financial decisions for them. Under Michigan law, family members are given priority to become a loved one's guardian. So why would a judge give this power to total strangers?

"I just want my parents back," Marcia Mitchell told Catallo.

Mitchell said she hasn't seen her father or step-mom in more than a month. All she can do is wonder what's happening on the other side of the fence separating Barbara Elbridge and Bob Mitchell from their relatives who live right next door.

"They can't get out, we can't get in. They can't take phone calls because their landline's been disconnected. Their cell phones have been taken, their cars were towed away," Cousin Gretchen Sommer said. "They're literally prisoners in their own home, and they've done nothing wrong."

Family members say both Barb and Bob have been trying to reach them through a six-foot tall privacy fence their caregivers installed. But how did this happen?

Back in November, Marcie says 70-year-old Barb and 72-year-old Bob were having issues with memory and dementia. That prompted Marcie to petition the Macomb County Probate Court to become her parents’ guardian and conservator, so she could hire full-time caregivers and make medical decisions for her dad and step-mom.

But when Marcie appeared in front of Judge Kathryn George, she says the judge blindsided her when the judge appointed an outside company called Caring Hearts Michigan Inc. as guardian and conservator.

"I felt belittled like I didn’t properly take care of my parents when I always thought I had. I was dumbfounded,” said Mitchell.

“How did the judge make you feel?” Catallo asked.

“Like a bad daughter,” said Mitchell.

Caring Hearts Michigan hired a company called Executive Care and brought in multiple caregivers to stay in the home 24 hours a day.

Both companies are owned by Catherine Kirk who, as guardian and conservator, can bill Barb and Bob’s estate for all of that care. The estate is worth around $2.7 million.

In fact, state records show Kirk and her husband, attorney Robert Kirk, have a total of 29 companies all registered to his Clinton Township law firm address.

“It’s a racket. It’s money,” said Sommer.

Family members say when they started questioning why caregivers were sleeping on the job and smoking in the home, they were barred from visiting Barbara and Bob.

“A neighbor said one was outside smoking marijuana before his shift. We know one has a lengthy criminal background. And supposedly these are all bonded, background checked, insured,” said Sommer.

The caregivers have also started calling the police – a lot.

"Utica 911," the call began

"Police please… We’re here as caregivers… The family’s here insisting on coming in," the home caregivers said on the line.

Utica police say they’ve been called 13 times since Kirk’s Caring Hearts and Executive Care took over caring for Barb and Bob.

The day the 7 Investigators were at the home next door to interview family members, the caregivers even called the cops on us.

Police: “Alright, are you guys leaning over the fence there?”

“No!” the Mitchell family responded

“Absolutely not. Is that what they said? They said we were leaning over the fence?” Catallo asked.

Police: “That’s correct.”

After the officers left, someone else showed up.

“I’m Michael Taylor, I’m an attorney for Caring Hearts and Executive Care,” said attorney Michael Taylor.

Taylor works for Robert Kirk’s law firm, and he’s also the mayor of Sterling Heights.

“Why can’t they see their family members?” asked Catallo.

“Because they’ve been giving them illegal drugs, illegal medication,” said Taylor.

“And what proof do you have of that?” asked Catallo.

“We have incident reports filed created by the aides,” said Taylor.

When we asked Taylor to produce visitor logs to back up those claims about medication – he refused to provide them.

Marcie Mitchell says that allegation only surfaced after she sent Cathy Kirk an email in April questioning her father’s medication dosage because he was unable to speak – and she denies giving her parents any drugs.

“Did you?” asked Catallo.

“No! No,” said Mitchell through tears. “No, I wasn’t there that day, and I don’t understand why they didn’t take him to the doctors if they’re going to make an accusation if my dad is that comatose.”

Taylor has also said in court filings that Executive Care is licensed with the state of Michigan, but state officials tell us that’s not true.

And that’s not all: The 7 Investigators have learned that Cathy Kirk’s companies are not on the state health department’s list of approved adult home help agencies.

After the day the cops were called on us, Taylor filed a request with the judge for a restraining order against the family and he’s asking the judge to let them install security cameras inside and outside the home.

Family members are fighting that, and they’re also asking why Bob keeps trying to escape and why recent photos reveal bruised arms.

“It’s absolutely insane. It’s disgusting. And it’s happening right here, it’s a form of trafficking in my opinion,” said Sommer.

Cathy Kirk refused to talk to 7 Action News on camera, but Caring Hearts Michigan did release this statement:

“Caring Hearts Michigan, Inc. was appointed as guardian and conservator in this case due, in part, to its relationship with Executive Care, a CHAP-Certified in-home care company. Caring Hearts does not accept guardianships or conservatorships on a large-scale basis. Prior to its appointment, Robert and Barbara were malnourished and living in dangerous and unsanitary conditions. Now, Robert and Barbara are safe and healthy living in their own home. Caring Hearts will continue to do everything in its power to provide for Robert and Barbara’s safety and wellbeing in the most cost-effective way possible without separating them or causing undue hardship. Their safety and wellbeing is our only concern.”

The family denies that Barb and Bob were unsafe and that the house was unsanitary.

As soon as the 7 Investigators started asking the judge questions about Caring Hearts, the company is suddenly now offering visitation to the family members.

They are all due back in court next month.

Full Article & Source:
'I just want my parents back.' Woman says company imprisoned her parents in their own home

Louisville attorney accused of defrauding clients indicted on theft, forgery charges

A Louisville personal injury attorney accused in multiple lawsuits of stealing money from Hispanic clients has been has been indicted on theft and forgery charges.

The Jefferson County grand jury Thursday accused Andrew Clooney, 51, of settling clients' lawsuits without their consent and pocketing settlement money.

"It is a great development for our clients," said attorney Alex White, who filed suits alleging that Clooney stole more than $160,000 from clients. "We have been screaming to the authorities and the bar and we really needed for the criminal justice wheels to start turning so we can get justice."

The grand jury indicted Clooney on Thursday on seven counts of theft by failure to make required disposition of property over $10,000. 

He also faces nine counts of theft by failure to make required disposition of property over $500 but less than $10,000 and 19 counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument. 

Clooney's wife, 46-year-old Christel Clooney, and employee Marlene Estrada, 57, were also indicted on the charges Thursday. 

Twenty different victims are named in the indictment. 

Prosecutors say the defendants, between July 2015 and August 2018, would forge clients' signatures on settlement agreements and Estrada would notarize them. 

White said last year that Andrew Clooney targeted those with poor English skills so their complaints wouldn’t be believed or would be chalked up to a misunderstanding.

The defendants, who face a maximum of 20 years in prison if they are convicted, are set to appear June 3 in Jefferson Circuit Court for arraignment.

Clooney was suspended from  practice on April 19 for failing to respond to a charge. The Kentucky Bar Association lists him as a former member.

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Doug Meisel is prosecuting the case.

White said one of his clients has won a default judgment against Clooney and that the other lawsuits will be amended to add Christel Clooney and Estrada as defendants.

Full Article & Source:
Louisville attorney accused of defrauding clients indicted on theft, forgery charges

Care worker exploitation: Search cases in Nebraska, elsewhere

Long-term care is a multibillion-dollar industry that has enabled some operators to become wealthy -- while exploiting their workers.

Across the country, scores of caregivers—some of them on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week—earn a pittance to tend to the elderly in residential houses refurbished as care facilities, according to an investigation by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting.

The growth of board-and-care homes in neighborhoods across the United States is tied to medical advances enabling aging Baby Boomers to live longer despite debilitating illnesses while requiring the help of caregivers. There were about 29,000 residential care communities in the United States in 2016, according to the most recent federal figures available. About two-thirds are smaller facilities with four to 25 residents.

Some caregivers at these facilities often effectively earn $2 to $3.50 per hour. Some say they end up working much longer than they signed up for or because they don’t know about minimum wage laws. Many report working from dawn to dusk, and at night they have to wake to change adult diapers, dispense painkillers and shift the bedridden every two hours to thwart bedsores.

The search below looks at national wage investigations over the last decade. Search by one or multiple criteria, including employer name, state, repeat or willful violations, amount of back wages paid and number of violations. Click on the 'Details' link for more information about the case.

Full Article & Source: 
Care worker exploitation: Search cases in Nebraska, elsewhere

Extraordinary Rendition: An Act of War on America’s Seniors

by Marti Oakley

We should have taken a lesson; we should have paid attention because we all know that what the government gets away with in other places will soon be brought home and visited upon us. So it is with what is referred to as “extraordinary rendition”. ( explanation provided below) Now this same methodology is used to cull and and disappear senior citizens. No crime has been committed. No evidence is produced to substantiate the capture, imprisonment, robbing, and eventual serendipitous deaths of America’s senior citizens.

The Rendering of America’s Seniors

We have a system of extraordinary rendition occurring right here at home and utilized to traffic and cull senior citizens. But in this system it isn’t the military or CIA who are taking prisoners. It is attorney’s, predatory for-profit guardians, Adult Protective Services and other “stakeholders” who have been given the green light to capture, isolate, psychologically torture, forcibly medicate, rob and eventually end the lives of seniors. And these prisoners of guardianship are held in secret locations; the floating prisons and black ops sites now replaced with “nursing homes”, “hospice” and of course hospitals where they can languish for years as insurance and medicare is exploited.

As no crime has been committed by the elder that is targeted, that would activate civil or criminal courts, the probate system was constructed to treat them as though some nonchargeable crime had occurred. In this system they have no rights, and are treated worse than a felon with even fewer options.

Every day these predators kidnap unsuspecting elders, snatching them from their homes, from hospitals and from their families, friends and others. Their crime? Usually just aging with assets that the predators have decided should belong to them. We don’t call the elderly prisoners of war, we call them wards of the state. But they are prisoners none-the-less. And even though statutes supposedly restrict isolation, forced medication, and abuse, prisoners of the guardianship system are immediately isolated. No reason needed other than the predator ordered it. Medications are forced on the elderly, and many are left in such neglect and despair that they quickly deteriorate mentally from these things and the forced isolation. Many families have no idea where their family member is being held prisoner.

Who else helps work this system?

Trolls, spotters and other useful low-life’s make a living identifying possible targets. These people troll neighborhoods with a high number of elderly home owners and report back to the people who employ them when they spot a home up for sale, or maybe the yard just isn’t mowed. Anything is an excuse when you are looking for one. They also rifle through property tax files which are a wealth of information and statistics; very useful for identifying potential profit prospects. They can also be the admission clerk at your local hospital, or a floor charge nurse who has a predatory guardian on speed dial. And the ever present and always threatening, social services agent who just wants to visit with you and make sure you aren’t being abused. Even if you refuse the interview, even if you order this person to leave you alone, they will write up a report as if they had a long conversation with you and you showed all the signs of abuse. These individuals are no different than the Egyptian/Saudi kidnappers; they make their money delivering bodies.

Once captured, the elder is immediately guardianized via an emergency petition for guardianship. No due process, no notice of hearing. Not that it matters, the targeted victim would not be allowed to speak anyway. The probate examiner turns a blind eye to the lack of evidence, to random and malicious charges levied against family and friends, and accepts on face value whatever charges are presented as the excuse for what is about to happen.

He Who Claims Must Prove

This is an old maxim of law, and exactly the reason that all guardian cases are administered in tribunals instead of courts of law. In a court of LAW you would have to follow the rules of evidence and the code of Civil Procedure.

In a tribunal you can do what ever you like, no problem. In a probate tribunal, you are not dealing with law, rights, or anything you would recognize as supposedly being integral to the legal system of justice that is supposed to exist in this country. Which is exactly why these tribunals were created; to avoid all that pesky stuff like constitutional rights and protections and actual law.

Usually, these motions for guardianship are granted without notice to the person, without due process, without any verifiable evidence, and are granted without question. What is about to commence is kidnapping, identity theft, isolation, forced medication, abuse, neglect and estate theft. Everyone involved from the hearing examiner on down, including medical providers, will be making money off this one victim. The attorney’s, predatory guardians, medical providers, nursing homes, hospitals, agencies, ..all extracting every last dollar they can using whatever means necessary, to enrich themselves, their agency or organization. 

But what about those charges made, those claims against the elder himself/herself? Or those made against family and/or friends? Have you ever wondered why, not one time after making these charges, all of which are crimes under various state and federal laws,…. no one is ever charged or prosecuted?? There is a good reason for this. This would allow access to actual courts. In a court of LAW you would have to provide evidence, and prove your claims in front of a jury. There wouldn’t be any of this “its true because I said so”. Imagine how things would change if this happened.

As it is a very rare occasion that any such evidence exists, no charges are ever filed. But the person whom these charges were made against now has them listed on their public record as if they were a proven fact. The ministerial clerk, administrative hearing examiner or magistrate or whatever euphemistic title they operate under in your state will accept the charges made by the predators as if they were spoken by the Lord himself.

No, you may not present any evidence refuting these claims.

No, you may not speak up in your own defense, and,

No…your family member, friend, companion.. cannot be the guardian.

If any of these people were the guardian, should one actually be needed, these predators couldn’t steal the estate. They couldn’t convert the real property into their own names and sell it. They couldn’t rifle through personal possessions and steal anything of value, and they most certainly would not be able to access liquid accounts. And to add another level to this sick business, these predators make themselves the assigned payee on all Social Security benefits, and railroad retirement pensions, any military benefits and any other source of dedicated retirement income. After all, according to the probate tribunal, these predators are now in fact….you. The real you doesn’t exist any longer and the law will not recognize you as existing.

But don’t think for one moment that just because you might not have property or liquid assets, that you would be exempt from this human trafficking for-profit scheme. We now have numerous predators across the country who are doing business based on volume. In other words, they capture as many vulnerable seniors as possible who have nothing more than the above mentioned benefits. But multiply those benefits by hundreds of prisoners of guardianship….excuse me…”wards of the state”, held hostage by one of these predators and this provides an individual predator with a hefty monthly income.

The concerted efforts not only here in the US, but globally, to capture, cull and reduce the number of elderly is growing. We have been determined to be a waste population and one that has no other value than the accumulation of whatever level of wealth we have.

In the US, people over 60 are the largest block of actual homeowners and actually comprise at least 50% of the real wealth of this nation. What is happening to us is not only the eradication of the aging population, but a dispossession and disinheriting of generational wealth that was intended to be passed on to the next generation of our families.

And while this generational harvesting machine rolls on, our elected officials mouth platitudes, pass fluff & buff useless bills and pretend they care. They don’t.

Background on extraordinary rendition.

During the Iraq war, and I would assume ongoing even today, was the practice of kidnapping so-called “terrorist” suspects, who were then taken to black ops prisons. No charges. No actual evidence of any terroristic activities, but many times simply kidnapped off the streets and sold for bounty to the US military, CIA and other US agencies and organizations. Egypt and Saudi Arabia made many millions of dollars kidnapping unsuspecting Iraqi’s and others, usually for about $5000 US per head. As the majority of them were never charged with a crime, they were none-the-less held indefintely, some still held in captivity these 18 years later. Most of these “suspects” were imprisoned on floating prisons at sea where US laws and access to courts was not an issue. The floating prisons, the black op sites in several mid-eastern countries and of course the infamous Gitmo were and are notorious for their torture and severe abuse of the detainees. Their families never knew what happened to them, where they were or if they were even still alive. 

https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2018/may/9/us-coast-guard-operating-inhumane-floating-prisons/

http://www.historycommons.org/project.jsp?project=us_torture_abuse

https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/20-extraordinary-facts-about-cia-extraordinary-rendition-and-secret-detention

https://fas.org/irp/congress/2007_hr/rendition.pdf

https://www.vox.com/2014/12/9/7361291/map-cia

Full Article & Source:
Extraordinary Rendition: An Act of War on America’s Seniors

Peter Max And Stan Lee Highlight Financial Elder Abuse Epidemic

by Danielle and Andy Mayoras

Artist Peter Max was recently the subject of an extensive investigative piece in the New York Times about financial exploitation surrounding the popular painter. Max is 81 years old and struggles with dementia. The article detailed how the artist had not produced art in four years, but that reality did nothing to slow down the production of Peter Max paintings. Last year, Peter Max's art studio netted more than $30 million in profits, mostly through cruise line art sales of Peter Max creations.

Artist Peter Max with the Road Show Company exhibit on Sept. 6, 2014, in Northbrook, IL. (Photo by Barry Brecheisen/Invision/AP)

Barry Brecheisen/Invision/AP

The problem, according to the Times, is that Max did nothing more than sign the works, while other painters created them. Max, per the report, has not been able to paint since at least 2012. His dementia has progressed to the point that he does not know what year it is or understand the concept of being interviewed by a reporter. He went on cruises to promote art sales until he became too exhausted and confused, even soiling himself at one point.

Peter Max's son, Adam Max, took the helm of his studio, claiming his father asked him to take over active management. Peter oversaw a turnaround that took the studio from bankruptcy to a thriving business based on selling new Peter Max paintings.

When Peter's much-younger wife, Mary Max, filed for guardianship over her husband in 2015, she claimed that Adam had effectively kidnapped Peter, repeatedly moving him and concealing his location from family and friends. Mary won the right to return Peter home to live with her, with an independent guardian being appointed to manage his affairs. Despite her victory, reports surfaced that Mary too was accused of mistreating her husband, demanding more money, threatening divorce, withholding food, and even serving him hidden "large Brazil nuts" in smoothies, presenting an obvious choking hazard.

Through it all, Peter Max kept "working", signing his names to paintings and generating tens of millions of dollars annually.

The story was similar for the late Marvel Comics legend, Stan Lee, who also battled dementia before he died at age 95. He was squarely at the center of a power-struggle between his daughter, a former publicist, and a collector-turned-business parter to Stan Lee, named Keya Morgan. Lee was the subject of an elder abuse court proceeding that led to the appointment of an attorney to serve as guardian at litem to protect him. While we wrote an article calling for a conservator to be appointed to protect Stan Lee, he died a few months later, before anyone filed for conservatorship. The attorney remained as Lee's protector until the end.The true extent of the financial abuse has only recently been revealed. Authorities in Los Angeles took the unusual step of charging Morgan criminally for elder abuse of Stan Lee. Morgan was recently arrested for false imprisonment, grand theft from an elder, and elder abuse. For example, he is charged with pocketing $262,000 in autograph sales from Lee. Morgan is also accused of mishandling more than $5 million, exerting undue influence, and moving Lee from his home to isolate him.

Full Article & Source:
Peter Max And Stan Lee Highlight Financial Elder Abuse Epidemic