My mother has been complaining for quit some time that my sister has completely taken over the finances, and will not allow my mother access to bank statements and financial records.  She doles out money to my mother, she will not hand the money to mom but has it locked away in the office where my mother has to go and ask if there’s any money for her.

The last time my mother was in the hospital, my sister and brother-in-law had her moved into Legacy Lodge.  My mother’s rings, including her wedding ring, a collection of antique coins and my mothers credit cards went missing. According to my mother, this has happened every time she has gone into the hospital. My mother has asked for her belongings back, but my sister just ignores her.

My sister has told me that all the money and all my mothers possessions are gone.  My mother’s belongings were stored in my sister’s garage, and now there is nothing.  My mother has a right to know what happened to her things.

My mother tried to stand up to my sister, and talked to an advocate, but she felt threatened and is afraid to voice her complaints, for fear of the consequences.  My sister will withdraw any help to my mother, and she will need an advocate.  I am too far away to be of much help.

I live in Cranbrook, BC.  I have a brother who lives in Lethbridge.  He has also voiced his concerns to me about my sister stripping my mother’s estate, but he is unwilling to get involved and stand up to my sister. He has not been much involved with my mother since she has lived there.

My sister also bought my mother a large flat screen TV.  My mother paid for it.  When they moved my mother, my sister and her husband took my mother’s TV and replaced it with a small $200 TV from Wal Mart.  My mother was upset about this but when she asked where her TV was she was ignored.

I believe my mother fears retaliation if she stands up to my sister.  In fact she has told me this.  I am writing this letter with the full knowledge and consent of my mother, and I hope you can give me some advice as to what course I should follow.

-Concerned Sister

On May 27, 2010, police laid fraud charges against Mary Joanne Ireanne Talbot-Brisson, 46, and Mary Joanne Josée Brisson, 22, following a months-long investigation at the Lodge, which is in Cumberland.

More than a dozen seniors who were defrauded of about $346,000 over a 10-year period, Det. Brenda McGillvray, the lead investigator in the case, said Thursday. “We’ve identified 18 senior victims with multiple offences per victim.” “The scale (of the fraud) is unprecedented.”

Some residents estimate they’ve lost thousands of dollars over the years. Michel Gauthier, 64, includes himself among the victims. Gauthier estimates he’s lost $17,000. He said the thefts took many forms but he only realized something was wrong after he asked Talbot-Brisson to take his bank card and withdraw $100 on his behalf.

About a month and a half later, when he checked his account, he found he had $8 left in his account. He estimates $6,300 had been taken. Gauthier, who is nearly blind from diabetes, said he often asked Talbot-Brisson to deliver cheques on his behalf for items such as his cable television bill or drugs at the pharmacy. One day, he said, he received a call from Rogers asking him for nearly $300 in unpaid cable bills.

“Rogers called me and said ‘hey, you owe us money for the cable’ and I said ‘I pay you every month’,” said Gauthier. “They said they never received any cheques. I had to repay it. The phone, the same thing, $400,” said Gauthier.

On top of that, Gauthier estimated the pharmacist at the lodge wanted $10,000 to cover unpaid bills.

Chantal Ruel, a nurse’s aide at Cumberland Lodge, said residents and staff alike were puzzled at reports of residents missing jewelry and cash, as well as thefts from the in-house pharmacy and from the residence itself.

McGillvray said she began the investigation more than six months ago after the owners of Cumberland Lodge and several independent seniors came forward and made complaints of their own.”

The Community Information Centre of Ottawa lists Bethmar Realty Investments Ltd. as the owner of Cumberland Lodge. Elizabeth L. Kirkey is named as the president and owner, and Michael Ansell as the managing director. Neither could be reached Thursday for comment. Cumberland Lodge, at 2564 Market St., has 64 units with a capacity of 84 residents. It bills itself as a private residential care facility that offers meals, housekeeping, personal care and health services to seniors and people with moderate disabilities.

Talbot-Brisson had been the retirement home’s administrator for most of the period under investigation. She began working in 1998 after claiming to be a registered nurse which she was not.

Talbot-Brisson allegedly helped the seniors to pay their bills. In the detective’s words: “She acted as a person to facilitate and assist in helping seniors in rent collection and other living expenses — cable, phone, pharmacy and things like that.”

Talbot-Brisson is facing a total of 25 charges, including criminal breach of trust, fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000, possession of the proceeds of crime, misappropriation of money held under direction, falsifying employment records, and uttering a forged document.

Brisson is charged with criminal breach of trust, theft under $5,000, fraud under $5,000, and misappropriation of money held under direction for her role in allegedly defrauding one person while she was employed at the lodge.

Adapted from the Ottawa Citizen – May 28, 2010

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Konstanty (Ken) and Josephine Stankiewicz are upright, honorable persons who have done their best to be good Alberta citizens. He is now eighty seven years of age and she is ninety three years of age.

Mr Stankiewicz worked until he was sixty five years of age and then did not retire but worked as a Commissionaire for the government until he was over eighty one years of age. He took great pride in his work and was often asked to transfer to the private sector and work for private businesses. Then due to illness, he was forced to retire and has only been in retirement for about six years.

His disabling illness of Parkinsonism was not diagnosed until a few days ago. Now these elderly persons struggle because of his illness.

Further to the attached report of the Protection For Persons in Care in Tab 2 B:

Section 1

Paragraph 2 – According to Ken and Josephine Stankiewicz, the room was thoroughly searched, including the bed which was totally pulled apart.

Paragraph 4 – How could that flimsy bed have retained the heavy, double wallet in between the bed and wall for close to two weeks? Note TAB 6. During this period,

1. Konstanty and Josephine had thoroughly searched the room for many hours.
2. The bed had been stripped and remade on Monday, the 7th of April. One cannot possibly make the bed without pulling it from the wall. Note Tab 5 / photographs of bed and wallet.
3. The room was regularly cleaned by workers, the floor was cleaned.
4. Ken slept in the bed every night and made the bed in the morning.

Section # 2 – (Page 3)

Paragraph 4 – The intent of the meeting was threatening, accusatory and the strong message was that he was to be removed. The correspondence of Pat Dahlbeck RN dated May 2/03 clearly reiterates the strong message of the meeting. Note Tab # 7 – letter # 1.

This story is beyond belief and if we had not lived it, we would also find it most difficult to believe. Nevertheless, the rudeness and disrespect is very typical of treatment which many of our older citizens endure in far too many elder care facilities.

Complaint

May 26, 2003

VIA FAX 415 8611
To: THE PROTECTION FOR PERSONS IN CARE ACT ABUSE LINE.
Re: THE ATTEMPTED EVICTION OF KONSTANTY (KEN) STANKIEWICZ
from the MEADOWLARK SENIOR CITIZENS LODGE, 609 161 Street, Edmonton, AB. Ph. 780-484-0581

GREATER EDMONTON FOUNDATION
Complaint Re: PAULINE KOHLMAN, MANAGER

1. On April 14, 2003, an Old Age Security worker phoned us from the Edmonton regional office to inform us that she felt that a 93 year old Josephine Stankiewicz (Josephine) had been badly treated by the Lodge Manager where her husband lived. She said that this lady (Josephine) had been to see her previously in order to replace the husband’s senior card and other documents.
2. She informed us that husband, Ken (Konstanty) Stankiewicz’s wallet had gone missing at the Meadowlark Senior’s Lodge.



3. April 3, 2003 this missing wallet had been reported to the Assistant Manager, Ms. Becky Wright who immediately went to the room to help search for the wallet. It is a very thick, heavy wallet. (Note attached photograph) During her search she pulled apart the bed and bedding of Ken Stankiewicz. When the wallet and documents were not found, an Incident Report was filled out by Becky Wright.
4. Both Josephine and husband, Ken, searched the room for many hours without success. On the advice and with the assistance of neighbors, the matter was reported to the police at the West Edmonton Mall Office.
5. Monday, April 7., 2003, According to weekly routine, Ken Stankiewicz’s bed was stripped and clean bedding was placed on the bed by a Good Samaritan Home Care Support worker. No wallet was found.
6. Monday, August 14, 2003, 8:30 AM, Josephine came to the lodge to take her husband to the Lab for tests. Pauline Kalman, Manager told Josephine that she wished to meet with her in her office.
7. Josephine returned to the Lodge at about 11:30 AM and went to the Office of the Manager, Pauline Kohlman. Pauline told Josephine that the wallet had been found that morning in the bed during the routine weekly bed making,.
8. Pauline called Josephine a: “liar”, to have said that the wallet had been stolen.
9. During this conversation, Josephine wished to appeal to the Assistant Manager, Becky Wright who had searched the bedroom and bed on April 3, 2003. However, Pauline Kohlman went to the door of Becky’s Office and slammed the door shut.
10. Pauline Kohlman said a number of things to this little 80 lb. 93 year old Josephine Stankiewicz. “What kind of a man is your husband that he walks that way?” In recent weeks, Mr. Stankiewicz has very swollen feet and therefore has some difficulty walking quickly.
11. Pauline Kohlman was very aggressive, shaking and waving her finger at the elder and her final statement was, “Take your husband and get the h— out of here and don’t come back.”
12. My notes indicate that on April 23, 2003, Josephine phoned to tell me that a Pat Dahlbeck RN, Capital Health Authority had phoned her to tell her that she should look for a nursing home for her husband or be prepared to take him home. Naturally, Josephine was very, very upset and frightened.
13. When I went to visit Mr. Stankewicz sometime after this meeting, he was frightened and crying, wondering what would happen to him. After all, this is allegedly his home or so elderly persons are told when they move into these places.
14. Josephine had informed us that Pauline Kohlman had told her a meeting would be held together with Good Samaritan on April 24, 2003 @ 10:00 AM. She nor her husband knew what the meeting was for.
15. Josephine asked us to attend with her and her husband because she was afraid of these people because of the rough treatment she had received at the hands of the Manager, Pauline Kohlman.

THE MEETING

16. April 24, 2003, we arrived with Josephine and Ken Stankiewicz at 10:00AM. Present were:
    • Pauline Kohlman, Manager, Meadowlark Lodge,
    • Pat Dahlbeck, RN, Case Manager, Southwest Homecare, Capital Health Authority,
    • Esther Tebia RN, Casual Field Supervisor – (Does not work full time) Good Samaritan Home Support Services
    • Debra Martin – clerical scheduling – Good Samaritan Home Support Services,



17. Why did a clerical scheduler and a part time supervisor attend this meeting?
18. Why was Becky Wright, Assistant Manager, who had searched the room and written an Incident Report on April 3, 2003 not at the meeting? Considering the focus of the meeting, it is curious that she did not attend.
19. The four above named persons appeared most discomfited when we arrived with Josephine and Ken. They insisted that we, Elder Advocates of Alberta, could not stay and that the meeting was confidential. When we stated that we had been asked to stay and were going to stay, Pauline Kohlman and the others then stated that the meeting would not proceed because of privacy issues.
20. The gentleman who was with me stated: “Whose privacy?”
21. Ultimately, the meeting did go forward. The discussion focused on the wallet which had been missing.
22. All four pointedly accused Josephine of making untruthful accusations against homecare workers.
23. All four attendees:
    1. Made the implausible claim that the thick, heavy wallet had been lodged between the wall and the bed for close to 2 weeks.
    2. Disregarded the fact that Becky Wright had done a thorough search on April 3/03.
    3. Refused to produce the Incident Report that Becky Wright had prepared on April 3/03.
    4. Disregarded the fact that the bed had been stripped and remade on the morning of Apri17/03.
    5. Disregarded the fact that Ken slept in the bed every night and made the bed every morning. (Note photographs of bed and wallet)
    6. Disregarded the fact that the room had been cleaned and the bed would have to be moved to do so.




24. Josephine who is of such small stature that she hardly clears the top of the table stated: “Four people against two old people”. Indeed.
25. Esther Tebia held up her RN pin indicating that she was an RN, she had some difficulty expressing herself, but appeared most rude and aggressive towards Josephine. Her body language demonstrated strong disapproval of Josephine and Ken.
26. Esther Tebia stated a number of times that her workers were: “at risk” This sounded ludicrous considering the two elders before us.
27. This matter of workers being at risk was echoed by the clerical scheduler, Debra Martin, Pat Dahlbeck and Pauline Kohlman.
28. Pat Dahlbeck RN stated strongly and repeatedly that Josephine must never say that things were stolen she must only say that they were missing.
29. The following options were then outlined to Josephine for Ken by Pat Dahlbeck:
    1. Could stay there but provide his own home care.
    2. Move to another Greater Edmonton Foundation facility
    3. Move to long term care
    4. Return home and be cared for by Josephine
30. It became most apparent that the intent of the meeting had been to evict Ken (Konstanty) Stankiewicz from the Lodge.
31. Pat Dahlbeck used the term service him. We said serve him.
32. Throughout the lengthy meeting, persons repeatedly reinforced the statement that the Good Samaritan Home Support Services could be withdrawn and in fact nearly had been withdrawn. The tone of the meeting was most intimidating and threatening despite our presence. It was most disturbing.
33. My notes show Ken was told, “You can move to another lodge”, to which Josephine replied that this is his home.
34. Josephine mentioned that she had overheard Pauline Kohlman telling a male lodge resident as he was eating in the dining room to: “shut up”,
35. Pauline did not deny this but said the man had now been evicted from the lodge.
36. Pat Dahlbeck made the statement that Ken was being forgetful and was requiring a lot of services.
37. When I inquired of her what home care services he was receiving, she immediately turned to me and asked: “Why”
38. She and the others did then respond that he:
    1. Was receiving help to dress in the morning and in the evening get ready for bed
    2. Was receiving medication assistance.
    3. Had a bacterial rash in his genital area according to Pat Dahlbeck and she had ordered ointment for him.
39. It sounded as if Ken was receiving considerable care and almost totally dependant which is not true.
40. In fact:
    1. Ken does not receive morning and evening care, he dresses himself. He makes his own bed.
    2. Ken’s medications are in his drawer in his room and he takes his own medications.
    3. Josephine took Ken to the Doctor. for his swollen feet and she asked the doctor to examine him concerning the alleged rash because she did not believe he had a rash. The doctor found no rash and the ointment was returned to pharmacy.

The Letter

41. Letter of May 2/03, Pat Dahlbeck reinforced the threatening options stated at the meeting.
42. She refers to missing/stolen items as misplaced – paragraph 2, line 2
43. Paragraph 1 – states that Pauline, Deb and Elaine attended the meeting. In fact there was a Pauline Kohlman, a Deb Martin, but no Elaine.
44. The letter indicates that it was allegedly copied to Deb Hallett and Elaine Harmer who allegedly attended the meeting.
45. The letter identifies them as being Good Samaritan Support personnel.
46. In fact these two persons:
    1. were not at the meeting.
    2. are not employed by the Good Samaritan Society, according to Good Samaritan Society Human Resources personnel.
47. Pauline Kohlman, Manager,
    1. Verbally manhandled and terrorized a 93 year old senior
    2. Gave an implausible/ untruthful account concerning the missing/stolen wallet.
    3. Published an implausible/ untruthful defamatory account to others.
    4. Falsely accused these two seniors of speaking untruths
    5. Strongly threatened to withdraw homecare support and encouraged the caregiver home support persons to withdraw support.
    6. Threatened eviction of a vulnerable 87 year old man
    7. Caused extreme stress to Alberta citizens whose only failing is that they are old.
    8. Caused extreme stress and uncertainty, which in the very elderly translates into physical and mental destabilization resulting in falls, depression and other severe issues.

Letters

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Preadorshani Biazar was a relatively low-earning provincial bureaucrat with an unemployed husband when she was arrested in 2007 — yet she was able to travel the world, own three Toronto-area homes and drive an expensive luxury SUV.

The woman’s secret source of wealth was unearthed in a Toronto courtroom, as Biazar pleaded guilty to stealing more than $1.23-million from mentally ill, homeless and even dead people whose interests she was supposed to be protecting.

Biazar, who was a caseworker for Ontario’s Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee until she was fired in August 2007, pleaded guilty yesterday to running an extensive fraud that bilked 52 clients of between $1,000 and $400,000 over a 12-year period.

Several of Biazar’s schemes were detailed in an agreed statement of facts read out in provincial court yesterday, as the 43-year-old mother of three sat quietly and listened.

They include the tale of one homeless, mentally ill man who had lived on the streets for decades when Biazar took over his case in 2007. Because the man’s government benefits went untouched, he had accrued nearly $116,000 in an account.

Almost immediately, Biazar began scheming, documenting false cases of contact with the man. She forged a doctor’s letter declaring the man — whose affairs had been managed by the province since 1980 — suddenly capable of controlling his own finances. She then opened a bank account, secured a debit card and quickly began using it to pay for her own gas, groceries, clothing and restaurant dinners.

She had four other fraudulent debit cards linking to healthy bank accounts, according to police, using the stolen money to support a lavish lifestyle.

She drove a BMW X5, owned a $30,000 power boat and travelled to Europe, Las Vegas, Dubai and Halifax. The family took multiple ski vacations to Mont Tremblant and Collingwood and vacationed at summer resorts.
Biazar’s salary ranged from $50,000 to $70,000 over that 12-year period of employment.

According to court documents, none of the stolen money has been recovered except $100,000 that was frozen in one unauthorized bank account.

Police say they began investigating the woman in August 2007, after being tipped to her case by a relative of one of her clients. She was fired shortly after the investigation began.

It took police 17 months to build their case, eventually charging her with one count each of breach of trust, fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000 and laundering the proceeds of crime.

Biazar, meanwhile, was quick to liquidate at least one valuable asset before police moved in, selling her $850,000 home in Leaside 11 days after she was fired. She deposited the $340,000 profit from that transaction in her unemployed husband’s bank account.

That chunk of cash has since disappeared, along with all of the remaining stolen money, says OPP Detective Sergeant Shawn Evans, an investigator with the force’s corruption unit.

“The money’s not there. It’s gone,” says Det. Sgt. Evans, the lead investigator in the case. “In order to seize someone’s assets pending the outcome of criminal charges, you have to have reasonable grounds that they’re the proceeds of a crime…. You just can’t come in on day one and have a good enough sense of what the allegations are to move.”

Adapted from NATIONAL POST JULY 15, 2009

Saturday, March 8, 2008

VANCOUVER Police arrested a 47-year-old man Friday morning in connection with the theft of rings from the fingers of an elderly woman in Vancouver General hospital.

“This person has a long history of property crimes and crimes of this nature against the elderly,” said Vancouver police spokeswoman Const. Jana McGuinness.

The callous theft against the bedridden woman “touched the hearts of a lot of people,” said McGuinness. “This is a person lying in a hospital bed completely helpless.”

Agnes Ulmer was in her hospital bed at Vancouver General hospital on Saturday when a man entered her room and whispered to her that he needed to take her rings for cleaning. The thief took her wedding ring, her mom’s ring and another bought for her by her now-deceased husband of 63 years.

The suspect’s name has not been released.

Police say Casavant disappeared from a halfway house earlier this year and is wanted in connection with several fraud cases in the Edmonton and Winnipeg areas.

After pleading guilty to more than a dozen fraud-related charges — mainly involving swindling more than $20,000 from seniors and cancer patients — Casavant received an eight-year sentence in September 2006.

After serving less than a year at the Bowden penitentiary, Casavant was granted day parole to a halfway house in Calgary — from where he disappeared in June.

“The Edmonton Police Service, in conjunction with the RCMP and Calgary Police Service, are asking the general public to be aware that he has been actively targeting elderly or invalid victims in an ATM fraud scheme,” Edmonton police said in a statement.

His con — befriending vulnerable people then robbing their bank accounts — proved successful in Calgary, Kelowna, Wetaskiwin and Edmonton.

Judge Anne Brown said at the time the stiff sentence was meant to serve as a deterrent to others.

Why was he serving at Bowden rather than at a maximum security prison? Why was he given early release to a halfway house?

Casavant is described as having short, brown hair and blue eyes. He is about 5-ft.-9 and 280 lb. Anyone who sees him is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Adapted from the Edmonton Sun October 25, 2007.

Ministers of the Ontario Government are wringing their hands but failing to protect the elderly man and failing to restore his property to him. Gerry Philips, Minister of Government Services says “This is a high priority for our government & we are treating it seriously.” Reviczky purchased the property to generate a rental income that would help pay for the education of relatives back in Hungary.

Reviczky is now aware that he allegedly “sold his house” through the Power of Attorney that had been notarized by a lawyer named Sheldon Caplan, who practices law in North York & Barrie Ont. Real Estate, Corporate and law relating to Wills. Reviczky says he was surprised to see at the bottom of the Power of Attorney which Caplan notarized above what appears to be his scribbled initials a notation that the document was “acknowledged before me this 18th day of April 2006 by Reviczky Paul, who is personally known to me of who has produced Driver’s Licence.”

“I have never retained solicitor Sheldon Caplan,” Reviczky has said “I do not know him and did not communicate with him.”

It was the fraudulent “Power of Attorney” that made possible the sale of Reviczky’s home.

Previously published as Government Official Accused of Stealing Diamond

Gill, while on probation, forged $14,000.00 in cheques that she took from the rooms of two seniors aged 93 and 99, at the Devonshire Care Centre in October 2003. In December of 2003, while working at a seniors home run by the Shepherds Care Foundation, she stole two credit cards from the rooms of two seniors.

Gill was sentenced to serve two years probation after her sentence and pay back the money. She was also prohibited from working again in similar care facilities.

Gills criminal record included nine previous convictions, five crimes of dishonesty and four failures to comply with the directions of the court. She also breached a conditional order.

In May 2003, she had received a suspended sentence and probation for one year after being caught with seven credit cards from elderly residents and co-workers of Garneau Hall Seniors Centre.

Court heard that Gill had left home at 16 after rebelling against her father who did not approve of her boyfriend. Her mother also had problems with her, calling her a compulsive liar.

Gill was hired at elder care facilities in breach of the Protection For Persons in Care Act – Section # 5 (1) & (2) :

On January 17, 2005, the Elder Advocates of Alberta Society made a complaint to the Protection For Persons In Care Act abuse line against the Shepherds Care Foundation and CEO, Mr. John Pray

Our complaint was that the Shepherds Care Foundation and CEO, Mr. John Pray gave employment to Sanjeeta Gill, (a convicted thief) failing to require a criminal records check in breach of the Protection For Persons in Care Act Section 5 (1) & (2):

Section 5(1) Every agency has a duty to protect the clients it serves from abuse and to maintain a reasonable level of safety for its clients.

Section 5(3) Every agency must require that every successful applicant for employment and every new volunteer provide a criminal records check.

The complaint was dismissed by the Director of Protection For Persons in Care, Edith Baraniecki RN, who stated in correspondence of January 25/05:

“We do not have jurisdiction to investigate allegations that a facility failed to require an employee to provide a criminal record check”

It should be noted:

1. Because of the seriously flawed, ineffective, unenforceable, deceptive nature of the Protection For Persons in Care Act, no elder care facilities were held accountable.
2. Despite her troubled background and no training whatsoever, Gill was hired as a caregiver in three homes for vulnerable elderly who require medical attention,
3. Sanjeeta Gill was cited to be in the Edmonton Area (out of prison) in March and May of 2005. We were also alerted to her early release by a member of her extended family.