2 jailed for stealing from ‘dying’ kin
March 2, 2010
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
http://www.globe-democrat.com/news/2010/mar/02/2-jailed-for-stealing-from-dying-kin/
PORTLAND, Ore., March 2 (UPI) — Two women have been sentenced to jail for stealing from an elderly relative they believed to be dying of cancer — including selling her house in Oregon.

Evelyn Roth, 83, told The Portland Oregonian she was pleased by the sentencing. Virginia Ann Kuehn, 66, and Kathleen Sue Jingling, 53, were each given a year and a day in jail and ordered to pay restitution.

“Seeing them put in handcuffs was the answer to my prayers,” Roth said after the hearing Monday in Multnomah County. “That was good. I felt my wish has been granted.”

Roth gave Kuehn, a cousin, and Jingling, her niece, a power of attorney when she was diagnosed with a cancerous growth on her esophagus in 2008. When she recovered, she found Kuehn and Jingling had sold the Portland house where she had lived for half a century and most of her possessions, cleaned out her bank accounts and prepaid for her
funeral.

Jingling repaid $12,000 at the sentencing. Roth said she is still trying to recover some of her possessions, including a complete set of Rose china and wedding photographs.

2 Sentenced For Stealing From Elderly Relative
March 2, 2010
KPTV.com
http://www.kptv.com/news/22714925/detail.html
PORTLAND, Ore. — Two women found guilty of stealing thousands of dollars from an elderly relative learned their punishment Monday.

The victim’s niece, Kathleen Jingling, and the victim’s cousin, Virginia Kuehn, were the targets of a 35-count indictment last year after they forced 84-year-old Evelyn Roth to sign over her power of attorney to them.

At the time, Roth’s health was failing and they believed she was dying. Jingling and Kuehn placed Roth’s house up for sale, sold all of her belongings and stole a total of $235,000 from her estate.

“They both have it coming to go ahead and take their punishment and learn a lesson,” Roth said. “That’s what I’m hoping.”

Jingling and Kuehn were each sentenced to one year in jail and five years of probation.

Some of the money and other items stolen by the women have been returned to Roth. The courts are working to get more money back from the pair.

Woman’s family sentenced for cleaning out the house
Valerie Hurst
March 1, 2010
KATU News, KATU.com
http://www.katu.com/news/85875257.html
PORTLAND, Ore. – They took her car, her china, even her walker. Now two local women will spend a year in prison for taking or selling nearly everything their own elderly relative had.

We brought you the story of 83-year-old Evelyn Roth in August 2009, who tried to return home after recovering from a serious illness in the hospital and discovered her home had been sold and everything in it was gone.

On Monday we reported live from the Multnomah County Courthouse, where the two women granted power-of-attorney for Roth while she was sick were sentenced.

While the two women reportedly told police they believed Roth was terminally ill and about to die, they agreed in court to serve a year and a day in prison, plus five years of probation. Restitution is still being discussed.

Roth now says her hope and dignity have been restored – now that her only two living relatives, her cousin Virginia Kuehn and her niece Kathleen Jingling, will spend time in prison for scamming her.

She has the support of her close family friends, including James Jinns who is legally representing her. They were the ones who discovered her checking account and annuities were cleaned out last year, along with her antiques, furniture, car, house, wedding photos and even her personal ID.

“They took her glasses and she couldn’t see,” said Jinns. “They took her cell phone and she didn’t have any way to call anybody.”

Meanwhile, Roth is slowly getting her belongings back.

“Everything was dirty and dusty and we don’t know where it was,” she said from the courtroom Monday.

And she’s unapologetic. “They got to be taught a lesson,” Roth said. “You don’t go ahead and steal from people that have nothing.”