A tawdry case of alleged greed and family betrayal is laid out by Michigan's attorney general.
Kim Carter, a 41-year-old Detroiter, is accused of stealing $23,000 from her mother and brother, who are in Detroit nursing homes. She was arraigned on two counts of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult.
"Taking on the role of guardian for a family member ... comes with legal obligations," Attorney General Dana Nessel says in a statement. "Getting legal access as guardian to the finances of a family member doesn't make that account your personal slush fund."
Carter was guardian for her mother, a resident of Alpha Manor Nursing Home on East Grand Boulevard. She's accused of spending more than $17,000 from her parent's bank accounts for personal benefit while not paying for her mom's care.
The defendant's brother lives in Boulevard Manor, a nursing and rehabilitation facility also on East Grand. Carter, his Social Security representative payee, allegedly spent more than $6,000 from his accounts on items not related to him or his care.
The relative, charged in 36th District Court late last week, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Nessel says her office's health care fraud division will "take action against anyone who tries to take advantage of those no longer in control of their own finances."
