In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative, the IACP developed a six-part roll call video series which enables law enforcement to better identify signs of elder abuse and recognize evidence that can lead to a successful prosecution.

Patricia King was an 88-year-old widow with dementia, who was living at home alone. When Ms. King’s niece moved in to help Ms. King around the house, the family believed everything was working out well. However, Ms. King’s niece was slowly taking advantage of the situation. She consolidated her aunt’s financial accounts and forced her to sign a quitclaim deed in order to take ownership of Ms. King’s home. She changed the locks on the home and began to isolate Ms. King from her family and friends. Multiple parties began to worry about the welfare of Ms. King and reported their concerns to Adult Protective Services.

A Deputy Public Guardian who worked solely on financial abuse cases was assigned to the case and visited the home along with a police officer serving as a civil standby to ensure the safety of all parties. During questioning, the niece’s answers were disjointed and defensive, and she ultimately confessed to liquidating Ms. King’s financial accounts. After she showed Officer Aguilar of the East Palo Alto (CA) Police Department the money she withdrew from the account, she was arrested. Ms. King’s niece was convicted of multiple felonies and the trial judge sentenced her to seven years and four months in prison. The money that had been seized from the home was returned to Ms. King and the judge signed an order to void the quitclaim deed, giving Ms. King the rights back to her own home.

As this case clearly shows, financial abuse and exploitation are not limited to strangers and can be perpetrated by a close family member. Ms. King’s niece preyed on the vulnerability of Ms. King’s condition due to her dementia. In this episode, the district attorney’s office emphasized that a victim’s ability to provide information should not necessarily be discounted because they have dementia. Ms. King played a pivotal role in her own case by showing that she had no intention of signing over her home. This case also highlights the importance of law enforcement’s collaboration with Adult Protective Services and the district attorney’s office, particularly when it comes to elder abuse cases involving complex family dynamics and financial exploitation. By working together and pooling resources, law enforcement, community services, and legal advocates can swiftly bring offenders of financial exploitation to justice.

The roll call videos and other elder abuse resources can be found at https://www.theiacp.org/elder-abuse.