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I had to upload documents and I clicked “use my name vs anonymous.” No sense not putting my name when I have been monitoring the mess for a while now. I went to a lawyer who said filing to protect parents with dementia will be costly and based on the small amount of documents I had, he suggested Elder Services. So I took that route. Does anyone know the protocol they use? How will I know when they make contact with the family members who have been stealing the whole time? I know they said they would need a court order for a warrant to get the bank records. Just didn't know if this route will take forever and will I ever find out the results.

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To go through court you had better have some pretty good proof. You are going to be spending up to 10,000 easy to try to bring a court case.

As to Elder Services I am assuming that is Adult Protective Services, which has connection to being able to access courts, judges, etc. They will likely make a visit (or NOT) based on the proof or credibility of your story. They will tell the people who are POA that there are accusations of fraudulent use of a seniors funds. They will ask if records of finances are being kept and may ask if they may be allowed to see said finances. If they get the bum's rush and are suspicious they can go easily to a judge for a court order for the documents to be presented to the judge. That is where they will be examined.

Now, if they visit, and like me acting as my bro's POA/Trustee, whomever this person is pulls out files, records, monthly reports, accounts, credits, debits, bills receipts and says "Just let me know what you would like to see" and then can show APS these things, then APS will likely return to you and say that they examined thus and such and could find no reason to be suspicious that there was any fraud, that accounts were being kept and are up to date.
That's then that.

You can imagine that if every disgruntled family member/sibling/step kid who wants to can bring a court case against a POA/Trustee that would be onerous, horrific; no one could then do it. It is hard enough to do for an organized, kind, with it, meticulous guy like my bro who had everything in order and all I had to do was keep it up. It would be impossible to do with people saying "show me this " and "show me that", and in fact people have no right to see a person's private financial statements UNLESS they are the POA. That is why it goes to a judge. That is why there are lawyers involved. That is why it becomes so expensive.

I would have to be real certain of fraud before I began on all this; that's for certain.
I wish you the best of luck.
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markTS1970 May 24, 2024
Thank you, Yes I have concrete evidence and cashed checks of large amounts being cashed thru liquor stores with forged signatures on them. I took everything I had to the bank and was told to contact elder services because the spending was "disgusting" in their words. ANd I have messages from the ones cashing the enormous checks sending me the copies of them saying I can't do anything about it. I also have copies of the check register with every single check that was cashed by them showing "void" in the register when they were in fact cashed. I am the other co-POA but have been blocked by the one stealing. I guess one of my issues is the other POA is able to make financial decisions in this capacity so why would they hide things, and why would they forge signatures when they can sign the checks themselves? They are even using a deceased parents credit card and only making minimum payments so at this rate $16,000 will never be paid off. a lawyer did say he would take this to a judge, but said some judges would allow reimbursement to me but others may not. so he said I had a duty to go to elder services. Not much can be said by my parent because they have dementia and can't remember 5 minutes prior.
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Dr. Phil says "people who have nothing to hide....hide nothing."
I have found this to be true many times.
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AlvaDeer May 25, 2024
In the case of a legal POA they CANNOT/SHOULD NOT discuss any financial details of their principal. For instance, my brother made me his POA and TRUSTEE and gave me all powers to do everything. I was NOT free to discuss his finances with anyone in the family otherwise. My brother entrusted ME to act for him, as I believed in his best interest.
Look up POA. You will find they are not free to share this information just because a family member is curious.
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Mark, you will likely not be told what is happening.

APS will go speak with the elder, speak with the caregiver and proceed from there. Everything our government does is a process based on the laws, so prepare yourself for a long process with few answers.

Oh, if they do find serious issues, they do what is called emergency guardianship and take the elder from their home, put them in a facility and sometimes nobody knows where because they are protecting the senior.

I think I would also file a police report for POA financially exploiting a vulnerable senior. State laws are very clear on fiduciary responsibilities and consequences for violating them.

Best ofuck protecting your loved one and getting them the best care possible.
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Mark,
I made a few responses below in regard to people thinking a POA can/should share an elder Principal's private financial affairs with a questioning sibling.
She should not and cannot.
These questions has led me to look back at your previous questions, and as I do this looks more like siblings at war to me.
Apparently your parent (s ?) put their home in and IRREVOCABLE trust at some point so as to save assets for you siblings. You mom, as I understand it is still at home, living at home. Is she in care of the sister sibling you are worrying about misusing funds?

I think, reading your old posts and Igloo's great responses to you about how all this works, that I will leave you to the legal system you are presently using. It is my feeling that you there is not so much abuse going on for your parent on the face of all this, as there is possible changes in wills and etc. and now siblings in disagreement.

So again, make use of the legal system. They will set you straight on "how it is" versus "how I want it to be."

I wish you good luck, but siblings at war is my least favorite thing that shows up often on Forum, and I am always best to exit those threads before I go too far!
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thank you, yes a lawyer I spoke to said the same thing about co-POA and said it shouldn't have been one like that. As far as the credit card usage the principal on the account was my dad who has been deceased for years. Mom's name is not on it and when I called to shut that card down and sent them the death certificated the said it should have gone thru probate. But it wasn't a card used by my dad back then. I think it was a mailing that went to the house for my dad and my brother took it and called the number to activate and started a shopping/vacation spree. The other POA knows about bc they were writing checks out of mom's account to pay the minimum. I did get a call from APS late yesterday to call them back on Tuesday. So hopefully I get some help from them..
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AlvaDeer May 26, 2024
Great, Mark. I hope you will update us. And if Dad is deceased and mom's name isn't on credit card then you've not a thing to worry about there. That's the credit card companies problem and there's no one there who would owe a thing.
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