By Darcy Leigh Richardson
August 18, 2010
The Long Beach Police Department had been searching since 2008 for 54-year-old Li Ching Liu, a suspect in an elder financial abuse case, until Liu turned herself in Tuesday morning at Long Beach Superior Court.
Liu appeared with her attorney, Joseph Camarata, in the courtroom and enterd a plea of not guilty to the charge that she abused and robbed the victim, a 74-year-old Long Beach resident, of more than $4 million.
Liu, who also uses the name Susan Liu, was providing caretaking services to the 74-year-old when she stole the victim’s money, according to police.
An LBPD press release stated that by January 2002, the victim had accumulated a personal fortune from investments in commercial real estate.
The victim, who is an unmarried female with no children, was independent and sociable and maintained contact with an extended family network until she suffered a debilitating stroke in February 2002.
Because the victim required 24-hour care, she hired Liu to assist her with daily activities.
Within one year, the suspect had begun keeping the victim isolated from her family and professional business contacts.
From 2003 to 2009, Liu allegedly accessed the victim’s bank accounts and withdrew sizeable amounts of cash. The banks eventually raised the alert.
The suspect also reportedly arranged the sale of a profitable Westminster strip mall the victim had owned and relied upon for monthly income. The money was used to purchase jewelry, a Porsche SUV, and a single-story residence in Temple City.
The police report also stated that numerous checks were issued to Liu’s 58-year-old boyfriend, co-defendant Abolfath Okhovat, of Thousand Oaks, and Liu’s 29-year-old son and co-defendant, Yun Shih (a.k.a. Alan Shih) of Temple City.
Co-defendant Shih used the victim’s money to pay for his University of Southern California (USC) college tuition and to purchase a BMW automobile. In 2009, both co-defendants were convicted of financial elder abuse in this case.
Long Beach Superior Court had issued a $2.5 million felony arrest warrant for Li Ching Liu, and the judge set Liu’s bail at $2.5 million.
On Monday, Nancy Pratt, public information officer for the LBPD, said that since the press release was issued on Friday, Aug. 13, a few leads had been received. Stacey Holdredge, LBPD Forgery and Fraud detective, launched the search and had asked the public for help in locating Liu in 2008.
Liu is ordered to return to Long Beach Superior Court Aug. 24 for a preliminary hearing setting and conference before she enters her plea. She currently is in custody in lieu of bail.
SOURCE: The Gazettes
______________________________________
Click for Updates, More Cases and Resources
Search Right Col/Labels for More Posts/Resources
No comments:
Post a Comment