Cops: Man's $315K Swindle Of Elderly, Dementia-Stricken Mom Leads To Eviction From Nursing Home & "Basically Put Her In The Poor House"

In Eden Prairie, Minnesota, the Eden Prarie News reports:

• An Eden Prairie man was recently charged with stealing more than $315,000 from his elderly mother’s retirement accounts over the course of five years. The incident “is not a unique case,” noted Sgt. Bill Wyffels, who advised that older residents should never, never put only one person in charge of their assets. “This is an example of a mother putting faith into one of four children,” he noted. “That one child basically put her in the poor house.”

• According to a criminal complaint, Terry Lee Carr, 66, has been charged three counts of theft by swindle over $35,000. In 1999 Carr was given power-of-attorney over his mother’s assets. By 2002, his mother was losing her memory and moved to Emerald Crest, a long-term care facility in Shakopee. Prudent investments and funds from long-term health insurance meant that his mother’s care should have been covered for the rest of her life.

• However, in 2008 the victim’s three other children began to suspect that Carr was taking heir mother’s money. The woman was evicted from her care facility and one of her other children eventually looked to find her a less expensive care facility. In the process of that, Carr’s theft was uncovered. Over the years, the vast majority of the withdrawals were made at Mystic Lake Casino.

For the story, see Fraud involving elderly parent, ‘not a unique case’.