Attorney General Steve Marshal announced on Friday that a woman from Alabama has confessed to financially exploiting her own elderly mother.
Gina Cook Gilbert, a 63-year-old resident of Gadsden, admitted guilt on Friday for committing one count of Financial Exploitation in the First Degree. This Class B felony pertains to her elderly mother, whose financial accounts she managed as a conservator.
Attorney General Steve Marshall emphasized the importance of protecting and providing for elderly citizens who are unable to care for themselves. He expressed concern that even family members may exploit vulnerable seniors, and stressed the need to hold accountable those who take advantage of them. Marshall vowed to continue fighting for justice and ensuring that caregivers fulfill their responsibility of caring for others.
In October 2014, Gilbert was appointed as the conservator responsible for managing the financial account of her mother, Patricia Jerome.
Less than four years after she was appointed as the conservator of the account, it came to light that Gilbert had misused her mother’s financial resources for her own personal expenses. Furthermore, she had also violated her fiduciary duties in managing her mother’s resources.
During the civil lawsuit and subsequent criminal investigation surrounding the conservatorship, Gilbert acknowledged her inability to provide an account of over $2.5 million from her mother’s financial resources.
Gilbert pleaded guilty to the Class B felony and received a sentence of 5 years in the Alabama Department of Corrections. Additionally, he was required to serve two years of probation.
The successful prosecution by the Criminal Trials Division, led by Deputy Attorney General John Kachelman, was commended by Attorney General Steve Marshall. Additionally, the Attorney General’s Investigations Division was also acknowledged for their contributions.
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