| TRENTON - Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP) today announced that a California woman has been charged with stealing more than $87,000 from her elderly mother, who resides in an assisted living facility in Wayne, N.J.
Pamela M. Land, 68, of La Canada, California, who had been serving as her mother’s power of attorney, was indicted on charges of misapplication of entrusted property, and theft by unlawful taking, both in the second degree. The indictment was handed up to Superior Court Judge Mary C. Jacobsen in Mercer County yesterday.
According to prosecutors, the elderly woman had given her daughter unfettered access to her financial assets to oversee funding for her continued stay at an assisted living facility for patients suffering from dementia. Instead of paying for her mother’s care, prosecutors allege, Land racked up debt on the elderly woman’s credit cards and drained her bank account to fund shopping sprees and pay Land’s daily expenses.
“Stealing the life savings of an elderly person is reprehensible, but it’s especially gut wrenching when the crime is committed by the ailing victim’s own daughter,” said Attorney General Porrino. “To make matters worse, the allegedly stolen money was intended to ensure proper care of the defendant’s mother who was suffering from the debilitating effects of dementia.”
“Elder fraud is a despicable crime that preys on the most vulnerable among us, our senior citizens,” said Christopher Iu, Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor. “We will continue to investigate and prosecute anyone who seeks to make financial victims out of the elderly.”
According to prosecutors, Land stole approximately $87,746 while acting as power of attorney for her mother between May 2013 and January 2016. Instead of making monthly payments to the residential facility where her mother lived, as she was required to do under a contract with the facility, Land allegedly accessed her mother’s money to make purchases for herself and to pay her own bills. She also used her mother’s credit cards for goods and services she herself received, and used her mother’s money to make payments on those cards, which were eventually closed for non-payment of outstanding balances, according to prosecutors.
Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to ten years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000. The indictment is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Deputy Attorney General Melissa M. Simsen presented the case to the grand jury. Detective Danielle Han coordinated the investigation under the supervision of Lt. Louis Renshaw.
Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Iu thanked the Department of Human Service’s Office of the Public Guardian for the Elderly for referring the case to the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor.
Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Iu noted that some important cases have started with anonymous tips. People who are concerned about insurance cheating and have information about a fraud can report it anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline at 1-877-55-FRAUD, or visiting the Web site at www.NJInsurancefraud.org. State regulations permit a reward to be paid to an eligible person who provides information that leads to an arrest, prosecution and conviction for insurance fraud.
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