Social Security Benefits

Woman Collected $300,000 in Social Security from Dead Relative

Laura J. Entrikin, age 60 of Boardman, Ohio, was sentenced to 24 months in prison and one year of supervised release for using her deceased mother’s identity to steal social security benefits.  Entrikin was also ordered to pay $322,322 in restitution to the Social Security Administration. As part of her guilty plea, Entrikin admitted to forging her deceased mother’s name on 147 checks in order to withdraw social security retirement benefits deposited into the account after her mother died. Laura J. Entrikin was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of bank fraud, theft of government property, and aggravated…

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Diane Vettori-Caraballo

Judge Vettori-Caraballo Stole $328,000 from a Dead Client

Former Judge Diane Vettori-Caraballo of Youngstown, Ohio, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release for stealing from her deceased client’s estate.  Vettori-Caraballo also owes $328,000 in restitution. Vettori-Caraballo plead guilty to one count of mail fraud, one count of structuring cash deposits, and one count of making false statements to law enforcement. Vettori-Caraballo stole at least $100,000 in cash that was in the home of a client when that client died in March 2016, according to court documents. “The fact that the defendant stole at least $100,000 from an elderly person who trusted…

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Evelyn and Arthur Keiser

96 Year-Old Mother Sues Son for Fraud and Theft

Arthur Keiser, the Chancellor and CEO of Keiser University, located in Florida, has been sued by his 96-year old mother, Evelyn Keiser, for allegedly cheating her out of income generated by businesses they own together. A family dispute has escalated over a lucrative for-profit college fortune.  There are charges and counter-charges, as well as an effort by Arthur Keiser to have his mother declared incapacitated by a probate court. In a complaint filed April 17, 2020 in Florida state circuit court in Broward County, Evelyn Keiser alleges that her son Arthur Keiser and his wife Belinda Keiser owe her rental…

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Margie O'Brien

Probate Judge Margie O’Brien Steals $432,711

Margie O’Brien, a former probate judge in Atkinson County, Georgia, plead guilty to stealing almost half a million dollars between 2010 and 2017. A grand jury originally indicted O’Brien on 81 counts of theft by taking and two counts racketeering. The Atkinson County Grand Jury handed down a 50+ page indictment; which indicted O’Brien on 81 counts of theft by taking and two counts of racketeering. O’Brien is accused of handling the deposits for the Probate Court herself. She allegedly wrote all of the deposits slips personally and would keep money from each one for herself. She attempted to hide…

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Frederick H Green

Court Appointed Guardian Steals $Thousands from Elderly

Frederick H. Green of Thompson Township, Ohio, and a former probate court-appointed guardian, was charged with three counts of fourth-degree felony grand theft, and one count of third-degree felony perjury. Green pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on a personal recognizance bond. Green was appointed as a legal guardian for William Vancura, in May 2017 by Judge Tim Grendell of the Geauge County Probate Court.  In September of 2017, the bar association received a grievance letter against Green.  The letter claimed that Green, in his role as legal guardian, misappropriated $18,400 from Vancura. Michael T. Judy, Chairman…

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Living Trust

Living Trust Lets You Avoid Probate

Having a Living Trusts is other way to avoid probate. Living Trusts are legal documents that, like wills, allow you to detail how you want your property divided and who should care for any minor children. Unlike wills, living trusts take effect while you’re still alive. Once a living trust is created, you must transfer ownership of your property to the trust, which requires changing titles and deeds, to avoid probate. These trusts are revocable — you can change them at any time. You will be the trustee, so you continue to have control over your property, and you’ll name…

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Lawyer Living in Dead Client Home

Lawyer Living in Home of Dead Client

Terry Erwin Stork, a disbarred Austin, Texas, lawyer has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for living in the home of one of his clients who died; and for driving the car of another of his clients. According to lawsuits and arrest affidavits, Stork systematically mismanaged or stole from the three estates worth more than $800,000 over two decades. Stork lived in the home of a deceased client from 1987 to 2002 and deposited money from the sale of the home into his own bank account. Stork pleaded guilty to felony theft charges for stealing from three estates. A…

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