Pair Charged in 'Sweetheart Scam' on Elderly (CA. USA)

Pair charged in 'sweetheart scam"

By Ben Aguirre Jr.
The Argus

FREMONT — A younger woman sidles up to an older man who is shopping alone at a grocery store. She strikes up a conversation.

From an outsider standpoint, it could look as if an elderly father were talking to his daughter.

But that's not the case. In fact, the woman is a swindler out to get money from the man, a widower seeking nothing more than friendship.

Think it's a fictional story? Think again. It apparently happened in Fremont nearly a year ago.

Last April, an 80-year-old man met a 35-year-old woman in a local grocery store and over the course of six months she and her real companion, also 35, bilked the man out of $70,000 in what has been termed a "sweetheart scam," police said.

Now, with the suspects under arrest, police said they have released their photos, hoping to hear from anyone else who may have been swindled by the pair.

"If there's one, there's probably others," said Fremont police Detective Adam Carpenter.

Fremont residents Mary Tennis and her common-law husband, Alan Nardo, were arrested earlier this month and each has been charged with two counts of money laundering and a single count of conspiracy to commit elder abuse.

Tennis, a mother of three, also faces five counts of grand theft, and a single count of fraud.

Both have been arraigned, but neither has entered a plea.

Abridged

SOURCE:    The Argus - Fremont,CA,USA

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Unscrupulous People May Prey On the Elderly (MD. USA)

Unscrupulous people may prey on the elderly

By DAVE McMILLION
MARCH 21, 2009

WASHINGTON COUNTY — It was his neighbors who went to bat for an elderly Boonsboro man, contacting authorities to report that he had no food or heat in his house and was living in less than sanitary conditions.

When authorities investigated, they learned the man’s estate had been drained of investment accounts worth more than $300,000 and he did not receive $325,000 in proceeds from the sale of his antique car collection, Washington County District Court records allege.

A Hagerstown man and woman to whom the victim had given power of attorney were charged with obtaining property of a vulnerable adult. Their cases are pending.

The predicament of this man, whose name is not being published to protect his privacy, is not an isolated one. Those who work with such cases involving senior citizens say they are concerned about unscrupulous people who offer a range of services to seniors, especially those with financial assets.

Getting help

There are a number of agencies available to help senior citizens who are being financially exploited.

Help also is available for other vulnerable people, such as those with handicaps, said John Kenney, program manager of adult services for the Washington County Department of Social Services.

Someone suspecting financial or physical exploitation or abuse of an elderly person can call an intake number at the Department of Social Services at 240-420-2155, Kenney said.

When the call involves an emergency situation, a social worker on call is available to respond, Kenney said.

Those needing emergency help on a holiday or a weekend can call 240-420-2222, Kenney said.

The Department of Social Services will respond to nonemergency situations within five days, Kenney said.

Abridged

SOURCE:    Hagerstown Morning Herald - MD,USA

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Pair Charge in Elder Abuse Case (MS. USA)

Pair Charge in elder Abuse Case

Newton County, Miss.

March 20, 2009

Two people have been charged with the aggravated assault of a vulnerable adult in Newton County.

Sheriff Jackie Knight said 30-year-old Ann Burnham, and her husband, Timothy Burnham, 32, were charged after allegedly whipping an elderly woman with a belt.

Knight said the victim was in her late eighties.

Ann Burnham was released on $50,000 bond. Timothy Burnham's bond was set at a total of $140,000 on the assault charge, plus charges of manufacturing marijuana, possession with intent to sell and child endangerment.

SOURCE:    WTOK - Meridian,MS,USA

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Carer Jailed for Rape At Nursing Home (UK)

Carer jailed for rape at nursing home

14 March 2009

By Russ Newton

 A BARNSLEY carer has been jailed for eight years for the horrific rape of a disabled woman in a nursing home.

 Relatives of the victim have told of the devastation they suffered after learning of the "horrendous" attack.

They spoke out after 44-year-old Brian Frederick Robinson was jailed for the rape of the extremely vulnerable patient at the Sue Ryder Home at Hickleton Hall, Doncaster.

 Detectives praised other staff at the home for promptly reporting the rape which enabled them to gather vital evidence which led to the successful conviction of Robinson by a jury at Doncaster Crown Court last month. During his trial, the defendant, from Wombwell, Barnsley, who worked at Hickleton Hall for 24 years, was unable to explain how he was discovered by a colleague in the room of his victim, who was in the final stages of Huntington's disease, with his trousers round his ankles.

Robinson claimed to the court that "significant" amounts of the patient's DNA that were found on him had transferred when he was changing her incontinence pad.

After he was jailed the family of the victim, who died a few weeks after the offence, said in a statement: "This has had a devastating effect on the whole of our family. It will take years for all of us to overcome the thought that an individual who we trusted to care for our mother could inflict so much pain and devastation." 

Sue Ryder Care stressed all staff are checked in accordance with local authority, Criminal Records Bureau and Commission for Social Care Inspection requirements.

SOURCE:    The Star (UK)

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Fresno Police Warn of Elder Abuse Scam (CA. USA)

March 20, 2009

 There's a new scam on the streets of Fresno which is targeting seniors.

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer says that an elderly victim was recently contacted by a male and female at her residence who claimed to be an "undercover" police officer.

The female asked the victim to step out of her home in the area of Hedges and Palm so they could discuss the recent burglaries in the area. When the victim stepped outside into the front yard, the male entered the victims home through a door located in the backyard.

Dyer says the male entered then entered the home taking money and documents which contained personal information from a bedroom.

The two suspects were last seen leaving the area in a black full size van.

Police are now asking for the public's help in locating the suspects. The individuals are described as: 

Female Suspect:

·         A 38-42 year-old Hispanic female

·         5'01"-5'03", weighing 160-170

·         With shoulder length light brown hair, brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a black shirt and blue jeans.

Male Suspect:

·         30-32 year-old White or Hispanic male

·         5'07", weighing 160-170 pounds

·         Last seen wearing a baseball cap with the word "POLICE" on it, black T-shirt, and black pants.

Anyone with information on this case is encouraged to contact Detective Richard Jones at 621-6208 or remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 498-STOP.

SOURCE:    KMPH Fox 26 - Fresno,CA,USA

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APS Director Disagrees With Report On Protection of Seniors

Official says elder abuse cases are being investigated

by Geoff Gillette

19 March 2009

Aging and Adult Services Department Director John Cottrell takes issue with a report made last week by a Contra Costa County Civil Grand Jury that claimed that, as of January, the county had stopped providing services to protect elderly residents from financial abuse.

The report stated that the county was in violation of the Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protective Act, which mandates local governments to provide protection to seniors. 

Cottrell said that while his department has been slashed to the bone in all of the recent rounds of budget cuts, it is still providing basic services to the elderly in the county.

"We've been hit pretty hard but we still have some pretty good workers here. We have six very good people who continue to do this," he said.

Cottrell said that does not mean they haven't had to scale back their services. Where in previous years case workers were out in the field investigating allegations of senior abuse, more and more of the investigative work is having to be done by phone. 

"We're doing the best we can with what we have. We're still meeting the mandates, although the investigations aren't as thorough as they used to be," he explained.

Five years ago, the Employment and Human Services Department's annual budget was $36 million. Cottrell said that as of this week, he has been told that the budget is now $17.5 million.

"In five years we've lost 50 percent of our county money. We're in a free fall and we haven't hit bottom yet," he said. 

State funding in the past few years has been cut by 10 percent, and could be further pared down.

"The scary part is they are still $8 billion out, so that means they are probably going to come after more," Cottrell said.

The department, he explained, has had to prioritize its cases in order to be certain that it addresses those incidents where there is a pressing need. Physical abuse and abandonment receive top priority, followed closely by financial abuse.

One area where Cottrell agrees with the grand jury's assessment is on the seriousness of financial abuse of the elderly. Referring to it as one of the greatest crimes of the 21st century, he said it is going to have a serious impact during the next two decades.

"In the next 20 years you're going to see the greatest transfer of wealth in this country as the elder generation will be passing their wealth down to their children. That wealth is being eroded," Cottrell stated. 

In the past two years, nearly one-third of the 3,500 reported cases of elder abuse in Contra Costa County were financial in nature. And of those, Cottrell said 50-60 percent were perpetrated by family members. 

Adult Protective Services has seen a serious drop in service in self-neglect, those seniors who need help or assistance but refuse to seek it out. Cottrell said in the past they have used case managers to put those individuals in contact with resources that can provide them what they need. With fewer caseworkers and staff those people will more often fall by the wayside.

Cottrell said the picture isn't entirely bleak, as he has been reaching out to community groups to help in filling in the gaps. One such group is Communities Against Senior Exploitation (CASE). The group, backed by the District Attorney's Office and several other organizations, trains individuals in the community to proactively recognize abuse.

SOURCE:     Danville Weekly - Danville,CA,USA

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Police Have Few Weapons to Fight Identity Theft (GA.. USA)

By DOUG NURSE

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

March 19, 2009

For identity thieves, crime pays.

Two Florida experts told about 80 police investigators at a seminar Thursday in Alpharetta there is little incentive for police departments to deter identity theft. Even though identity theft ruins thousands of lives and costs millions of dollars, few such thieves are caught, fewer are convicted, and even fewer receive significant jail time, Wayne Ivey, Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent.

Miami-Dade Police Detective Juan Koop and Ivey spoke at a identity theft summit sponsored by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and LifeLock, a company that specializes in battling identity theft.

Local police departments have other priorities than identity theft, and not many police are interested in pursuing such cases because they’re hard work and not very sexy, Koop said.

“Sometimes we’re a little lazy, and we need to do better,” he said.

Federal agencies often have $200,000 threshold before they pursue a case, which means a lot of cases are dropped, Koop said.

Many judges give identity thieves relatively short sentences, sometimes just probation, he said.

Part of the problem is that an estimated 65 percent of identity theft goes unreported, Ivey said. Many victims are elderly and are ashamed they’ve been victimized, or they’re afraid their grown children will say they can no longer manage their own affairs and take away their independence, he said.

Elderly people are a favorite target of identity thieves because they tend of have good credit that they don’t use very often or ever check, Ivey said. That allows thieves to take advantage of their credit for long periods of time without detection, he said. Older people also may not know who to call.

Thieves also take advantage of older people’s loneliness, trust, and not being familiar with current rules or technology.

In one recent scam, callers will tell people they’re from the IRS and their stimulus check is ready, but they need to confirm bank account numbers and other personal information. Another fraud occurs when callers say they’re with the court system and that a bench warrant has been issued because the person failed to show up for jury duty. But, they say the whole mess can probably be cleared up if the person will just provide some information.

SOURCE:     Atlanta Journal Constitution - GA, USA

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Elder Abuse Course Outlined (CA. USA)

Elder abuse course outlined

By RACHELLE GINES Associated Press Writer

03/18/2009

CARSON CITY, Nev.—Lawmakers were told Wednesday that many doctors, counselors and other professionals who deal with seniors don't always recognize signs of abuse and need to get online training that would help them spot such mistreatment.

AB260 would create an online course on recognizing different kinds of elder abuse and require professionals who deal with seniors to complete the course once a year. The course would highlight problems such as medication mismanagement to keep seniors sedated and identifying bruises resulting from physical abuse rather than accidental falls.

"I think everybody thinks they know what it is when they see it, but I am amazed at some of the different ways that elder abuse occurs," Assemblywoman Kathy McClain, D-Las Vegas, said in outlining her AB260 during an Assembly Government Affairs Committee hearing.

The bill would require at least 30 different types of professionals in fields such as dentistry, optometry, podiatry and chiropractic to take the course, along with other types of workers more traditionally associated with senior care such as medical and nursing home staffers, social workers and group caregivers. Also included are marriage and family therapists, athletic trainers, coroners and ambulance drivers.

Abridged

SOURCE:     San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA

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Insurance Agent Charged with Grand Theft, Elder Abuse (CA. USA)

March 18, 2009

Insurance Agent Carlos Chavez of Long Beach, Calif., has been charged with one felony count of elder abuse, three felony counts of computer fraud and four felony counts of grand theft, the California Department of Insurance announced. If convicted on all counts, Chavez faces a maximum of six years in prison. Bail is set at $130,000.

According to CDI investigators, Chavez collected at least $6,895 from five clients between August 2006 and September 2007, for the purpose of purchasing insurance products (homeowners, commercial general liability and workers' compensation). Chavez placed coverage for two of his clients, but allegedly failed to remit any premium, resulting in the insurance company sending cancellation notices on both policies. Both of these clients paid premium directly to the insurance company to reinstate their policies.

Chavez allegedly failed to place and remit premium to any insurance company for the other three clients and purportedly issued bogus certificates of insurance to two of these clients to give the impression that the coverage was legitimate, the DOI said. Chavez's alleged scam was discovered by the son of one of the victims, a senior citizen, who contacted Chavez to file a claim when his father's home was damaged in a fire. This victim had neither received a certificate of insurance nor a policy from Chavez. This victim subsequently discovered from the insurance company named in the quote that Chavez failed to place his coverage, resulting in an uncovered loss to the senior exceeding $60,000. This victim subsequently filed a complaint with the Department of Insurance.

This case is being prosecuted by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

SOURCE:     DOI CA.

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Contest Underway to Raise Awareness of Elder Abuse (AZ. USA)

 March 18, 2009

KINGMAN - High school juniors across the state have a chance to address elder abuse and the need for public attention.

Attorney General Terry Goddard is holding an arts contest focused on elder abuse where juniors can submit original posters, poems or essays that address the question, "Why should I care about elder abuse?"

"While my office has prosecuted and will continue to go after perpetrators of elder abuse, it is my hope that increased awareness of the issue will help stop abuse before it begins," Goddard said.

Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. March 31. Contest results will be announced in April.

Contest winners will receive first-, second- and third-place prizes of $500, $250 and $100, sponsored by Wells Fargo and Free Arts of Arizona.

"This is a great opportunity for young people to address an important issue in our community," said Rachel Oesterle, executive director of Free Arts of Arizona, one of the contest's sponsors. 

"The arts can help bridge divides, and this contest gives youth the opportunity to be creative, raise awareness and make a difference in the lives of Arizona's seniors."

The contest is in advance of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15. The winning works will be printed on a poster to be distributed as part of the statewide Elder Abuse Awareness campaign.

For additional information and contest rules, go to  www.azag.gov

SOURCE:     Kingman Daily Miner - Kingman,AZ,USA

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