‘That money is gone forever’: Prosecutor says grandson drained grandmother’s $500K life savings, leaving her on food stamps

A King County man was sentenced to 24 months in prison after a jury found him guilty of stealing nearly half a million dollars from his elderly grandmother, who has dementia and is now surviving on food stamps.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Karissa Taylor, who handled the case for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, said the defendant manipulated his grandmother into surrendering her entire individual retirement account through a campaign of deception.

“By way of manipulation and deception, he convinced his grandmother to give her entire life savings, all of her IRA that she had saved her entire life,” Taylor told “Seattle’s Morning News.” “By the time the victim’s son discovered the theft, she had less than $50 left to her name and is now on food stamps.”

Grandson exploited decades of trust to drain grandmother’s entire life savings

The victim, now nearly 91, had a close relationship with her grandson, who had lived with her intermittently due to instability in his own family. She had provided him with financial support for years, hoping to help him gain independence.

“The sad part of this case is that the victim and the defendant were very, very close,” Taylor said. “He took advantage of that trust and the relationship that they had to convince her to give him all of his money.”

The theft was discovered when the woman’s son noticed she was distraught. She told him she had no money left. He called her financial institution, confirmed the accounts had been drained, and contacted Seattle Police.

Investigators determined the stolen funds were spent on fast food, gasoline, car parts, all-terrain vehicles the defendant was building, mortgage payments, and other expenses. None of the money is recoverable.

“That money is gone forever,” Taylor said.

Families urged to plan ahead as prosecutor warns manipulation, theft are common

Seattle Police conducted the investigation, which led prosecutors to charge the defendant with 11 counts of felony theft. A jury convicted him on six counts. The court also found a major economic offense aggravator and an abuse of trust aggravator, adding 12 months to the standard sentencing range of 14 to 18 months.

Prosecutors sought the maximum sentence of 30 months. The judge imposed 24 months. The court will order restitution, though Taylor acknowledged none of the original funds remain.

Taylor urged families to take preventive steps against elder financial exploitation.

“Advocate for having a financial advisor who is aware of your finances and is aware of what your expectations are with your money,” Taylor said. “Have those same conversations with your family so they know what the intent is with regards to your money.”

She also recommended that families discuss power of attorney designations and plan carefully for when a loved one may need assistance managing finances.

“Ultimately, people can take advantage of other people through manipulation or deception or outright theft,” Taylor said. “We know these things happen.”

Manda Factor is the co-host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. Follow Manda on X and email her here. 

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