Oakland County woman sentenced for stealing $70K from elderly veteran
(CBS DETROIT) - A 62-year-old woman in Oakland County has been sentenced after she pled guilty to stealing from an elderly veteran, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced.
Margaret Risdon, of Bloomfield Hills, was convicted of one count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult between $50,000 and $100,000. This is a 15-year felony.
She was sentenced to three years of probation and 100 hours of community service by Judge David M. Cohen in the 6th Circuit Court.
Risdon must also work a part-time job and cannot violate any law or consume drugs or alcohol.
In addition to this, she must pay $72,843 in restitution to the man's estate.
"Protecting our most vulnerable populations is one of my top priorities," Nessel said. "I appreciate the hard work done by investigators at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the dedication of my prosecutors who relentlessly pursue those who target our state's most vulnerable adults."
According to the attorney general's office, they started investigating this case when the victim expressed that someone was stealing from him.
An investigation revealed that between November 2016 and July 2017, Risdon wrote herself checks from the man's bank account, and she wrote checks to her business, Electronic Creations, from his account. The checks totaled nearly $56,800. In addition to writing the checks, Risdon also withdrew more than $16,000 from ATMs.
The attorney general's office says that the man was disabled, living in nursing homes and hospital and Risdon did not serve as his power of attorney, guardian or conservator.
