[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/check-cashing-company-part-of-elder-abuse-case-new-york-ny-greenwich-ct\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/check-cashing-company-part-of-elder-abuse-case-new-york-ny-greenwich-ct\/","headline":"Check Cashing Company Part of Elder Abuse Case","name":"Check Cashing Company Part of Elder Abuse Case","description":"\u201cAt one point, Alvarado was withdrawing so much money from Silnitzer\u2019s accounts, she needed a rolling suitcase to take it home, according to the lawsuit.\u201d Two women and two check-cashing companies have been accused of profiting from a scheme that had a 74-year-old man suffering with dementia as their target. The scam, reported in the […]","datePublished":"2019-11-04","dateModified":"2024-03-20","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/author\/amorusolaw\/#Person","name":"Amoruso & Amoruso, LLP","url":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/author\/amorusolaw\/","identifier":5,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/12de032c04195e9c39a06a6d6eea182f7b4fa655c20e245f8094a244b5cdd0cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/12de032c04195e9c39a06a6d6eea182f7b4fa655c20e245f8094a244b5cdd0cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Amoruso & Amoruso, LLP","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/amoruso-logo.svg","url":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/amoruso-logo.svg","width":0,"height":0}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/6a01901dd0a082970b0240a49917c6.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/6a01901dd0a082970b0240a49917c6.jpg","height":566,"width":849},"url":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/check-cashing-company-part-of-elder-abuse-case-new-york-ny-greenwich-ct\/","about":["Elder Care","Elder Financial Abuse","Fraud","Power of Attorney \/ POA","Scams"],"wordCount":539,"keywords":["Elder Care","Elder Financial Abuse","Elder Law","Fraud","Power of Attorney","Scam"],"articleBody":"\u201cAt one point, Alvarado was withdrawing so much money from Silnitzer\u2019s accounts, she needed a rolling suitcase to take it home, according to the lawsuit.\u201dTwo women and two check-cashing companies have been accused of profiting from a scheme that had a 74-year-old man suffering with dementia as their target. The scam, reported in the article “Woman carried suitcases of cash out of check-cashing business, elder abuse lawsuit says” from the Fresno Bee, was attempting to drain millions of dollars from the man.The lawsuit alleges that the check cashing companies should have known that the 74-year-old widower was a victim of financial elder abuse by the two women, who are accused of convincing David Silnitzer to write checks totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.Making matters worse, one of the women managed to get legal permission to oversee the elderly man\u2019s assets, which were estimated at $6 million.The Fresno County Public Guardian became the conservator of David Silnitzer\u2019s estate this year after receiving a report from the Fresno District Attorney\u2019s Office about the possibility of elder financial abuse taking place. The county is going after the check-cashing companies for unfair business practices, financial elder abuse and negligence.The DA\u2019s Office is investigating the two women, Christina M. Alvarado and Brenda L. Denning, but no charges have been filed to date. However, a Fresno County Superior Court judge did issue a restraining order against Alvarado to try to protect Silnitzer from any further harm from her.About a year after Silnitzer\u2019s wife passed away, Silnitzer began to rely on Alvarado, who has an extensive criminal history. He trusted her as a caretaker, support person and even referred to her as a fianc\u00e9 at one point. She moved in with him and started a spending spree, using money taken from his accounts, opening new accounts and cashing checks.He may not have been aware of what was happening. He was given a \u201cMini-Mental State Exam\u201d to test his mental skill and scored 5 out of 30, indicating severe dementia.From Aug. 1 to Sep. 12, 2016, more than $83,000 was withdrawn from Silnitzer\u2019s account at Bank of America. Many of the withdrawals were made at non-Bank of America ATMs, including many located in casinos. Bank of America officials raised red flags, and Alvarado moved to a different bank. She opened an account at Chase for more than $900,000. During the eleven days after the account was opened, she made a withdrawal of more than $800,000. Officials at Chase, Bank of America and a third bank closed the accounts, suspicious of the activity.Alvarado, therefore, turned to the check cashing companies. More than $1.5 million was cashed at one company. The check cashing companies earned large fees and didn\u2019t ask any questions.\u00a0 Alvarado and Denning then had Silnitzer sign a durable power of attorney for financial management. The checks kept getting cashed.Law enforcement officials who specialize in financial elder abuse say that seniors are very attractive targets to thieves and scammers. Those who live alone and are isolated from family are particularly vulnerable. Family members can be the first line of defense against thieves.Reference: Fresno Bee (Oct. 9, 2019) “Woman carried suitcases of cash out of check-cashing business, elder abuse lawsuit says“"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Check Cashing Company Part of Elder Abuse Case","item":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/check-cashing-company-part-of-elder-abuse-case-new-york-ny-greenwich-ct\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]