We recently handled a case for a client whose sister is a Paranoid Schizophrenic and suffers from Bi-Polar disease as well. She has battled this for nearly her entire adult life. There were periods of relative calm, but for the most part, her life has been extremely difficult.
Add to this the fact that her family is financially well off. When her father passed away, he left her a considerable sum of money and property. Her home was gifted to her. Several years later, when her mother passed away, another large sum of money became available. These sums of money are set up as trusts and paid to her monthly with some lump sum payments from time to time. Suffice it say she was financially set.
When our client, her sister, came to us, she was concerned because her younger sister was spending money at a break neck pace. The client, who lives out of state, requested we conduct some inquiries and a little surveillance to see what was going on in Florida at her younger sister’s home.
What we found was shocking. There were two men, both registered sex offenders, living with the younger sister. One of them had convinced her to buy him a brand new truck and they were engaged to be married. The other registered sex offender told people he was her care-giver and was living at her home rent-free. Both were convicted felons several times over. Our investigation revealed they were doing drugs in the home and bringing prostitutes to the house when the woman was asleep.
Then we checked her finances and found that she had either purchased or co-signed on over 22 car loans through the years for her girlfriends. Additional research revealed her name along with many of her “friends” on numerous checking accounts and many of her friends had debit cards on her accounts. One month she received a sum of nearly $80,000.00 and was broke within 3 weeks. The more we investigated and researched, the more people we found with felony records that had lived at her residence at some point through the years. Our client was also concerned due to her sister’s failing health and mental / delusional episodes.
What we found was heart-breaking. A middle-aged woman with mental health issues and dozens of so-called “friends” who simply exploited her, stole from her and took advantage of her for many years. Not one of them ever reported her failing health to her family. Not one of them ever tried to get her any help. They knew if the family became aware of the situation, then there would be no more money.
Thankfully, due to our investigation, both of the registered sex offenders are no longer in the house. In fact, both have moved out of state. Her friends were put on notice that no more “favors or loans” would be done. The aftermath though is that it may be too late for this woman. She is in a facility now and her affairs and estate are being properly managed to make sure she is cared for.
If you have a relative that you believe is being preyed upon by unscrupulous people, call us for a consultation.