The holiday and other commitments slowed down the EoD information review process, but certainly didn’t decrease the volume of data coming our way.
The Missouri Gaming Commission will meet tomorrow to determine if former Buchanan County Public Administrator Bonnie Sue Lawson will be banned from Missouri casinos. As Public Administrator, Lawson was guardian of mentally impaired and developmentally disabled adults and used this status to embezzle Social Security payments belonging to 120 of her clients. Earlier this year, she was sentenced to 37 months in prison, three years of parole, a ban from gambling and restitution.
On the Astor front, proceedings to discuss probating Astor assets are scheduled. Meanwhile, the New York Post is reporting that Anthony Marshall, in hopes of avoiding jail time, will file a motion asking the trial judge to dismiss his first-degree grand larceny charge, the only charge for which he was convicted that has a mandatory jail sentence. His sentencing has been pushed back to December 21. Much more will undoubtedly be coming on both these fronts.
EstateofDenial.com readers know how bad economic times are making estate looting actions more appealing and lucrative. We’re glad that U.S. News & World Report is alerting their audience to this trend. All the recommended steps listed are fine, but throw a disingenuous administrator – whether a “professional” or family member fiduciary – into the mix and the most responsible of estate plans can quickly be thwarted with minimal means of cost effective recovery. As said before, steal $250,000 from a bank, the world reacts. Steal (or “inappropriately divert”) the same from an estate, it costs a lot to get even a little attention.
In the world of high profile probate news, six of Aloise Buckley Heath’s children are suing their father over his handling of trusts from their late mother’s estate while Michael Jackson’s kids will hopefully benefit from the income streaming into their father’s estate.
And is it not a recognizable threat of bad acts to come when a communication includes how “We can do it ugly, or we can do it nice.”? That certainly was the case for Bucky Hearst as his third wife Barbara revealed her plans to keep the Hearst name and the family money, but divorce the guy – Bucky – who made it all possible for her.
One last thing, we came across a web site Washington D.C. Probate Mafia. It is still under construction, but appears to be gearing up as one family’s estate abuse case study with analysis of lessons drawn from the experience. While traditional media coverage of these stories is slightly increasing, the devastating impact of Involuntary Redistribution of Assets (IRA) acts and the experience of being a target isn’t understood. It’s not just a financial experience. Aggressive pursuit of “justice” can be a life-changing experience when the realities of power, position and profiteering are exposed. Sites like Washington D.C. Probate Mafia will continue to pop up as motivated individuals seek to warn and educate the public regarding the threats that probate venues and/or instruments increasingly pose to personal and property rights.
EoD will spend the remainder of 2009 releasing a series of columns that recap, update or predict future status of the many cases we cover. Stay tuned!
Estate of Denial® provides news, analysis and commentary on abusive practices occurring in probate courts and via probate instruments (wills, trusts, guardianships, powers of attorney). We provide original perspective to educate the public regarding this growing threat to both individual freedoms and property rights.
