Cleveland attorney caught in elder abuse fraud for $260k. Sentenced to 16 months in prison.
A Cleveland judge recently sentenced Kevin Purcell, an elder law attorney and professional guardian, after hearing howthe attorney stole the money from the estate of John Kane, an Army veteran who suffered from schizophrenia.
According to local reports:
- Purcell served as a guardian for Kane since 1993 and administrator of his estate after he died in 2012.
- He pleaded guilty to aggravated theft and agreed to never practice law again.
- He also planned to repay the money he stole to Kane’s estate.
- He has been an attorney since 1981.
- Follow this link for the full story here.
Guardianship Law (Delray Beach) grants guardians a lot of power to act for the persons whom they are there to protect (called a “ward”).
- West Palm Beach guardianship attorneys know that, because of this vast amount of power, it is best if the guardian is someone with the ward’s best interests at heart.
- Often this can mean appointing a family member or close family friend as a guardian (Delray Beach probate court).
- However, due to many different factors, this is not always possible.
West Palm Beach Probate litigation attorneys have seen sad instances in which the elderly are taken advantage of and exploited financially (Florida). Florida estate planning lawyers (Boca Raton) have unfortunately seen situations in which the financial exploitation (of the elderly is done by professionals who are hired to protect the very people they are scamming.
How you can be sure that you or your loved ones aren’t being scammed in a will scam Florida?
- Contact the attorney or guardian handling the estate planning
- Address the circumstances that seem irregular
- Hire an attorney you can trust for a second opinion
- Make sure there is a proper record of conversations and document history
See http://www.pankauskilawfirm.com/ for videos and information on Florida Guardianship Law, Court-Appointed Guardians, and Power of Attorney.