DA's Financial Abuse Specialist Team
BY RON SYLVESTER
The Wichita Eagle
OCTOBER 17, 2009
He's 87 years old. She's 90. They lived together in their Wichita house, as they had for most of the past decade. Both suffered from dementia, and they were willing to give money to the men who visited them daily. The couple would write checks, $20 to $50 or more at a time. For years.
This fall, John Michael Smith and James D. Blanton pleaded guilty to mistreatment of dependent adults, together taking more than $228,000 from the couple, authorities said.
It ended the first case handled by a task force on elder abuse started last fall by the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office. It's called the Financial Abuse Specialist Team, or FAST.
Beginning last year, the team brought together volunteer social workers, elder caregivers and financial specialists to help investigate cases involving people trying to rip off older adults.
Prosecutor Tania Groover said the task force was created to provide the expertise needed in what can be complex investigations.
Abridged
SOURCE: Kansas.Com
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