LANSING, Mich. — A Battle Creek man was charged Wednesday with embezzlement from a vulnerable adult, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
44-year-old Clayton Yorks is accused of embezzling $1,000- $20,000 from a family member, which is a five-year felony.
Nessel says Yorks’s family member was admitted to an assisted living facility in November of 2021.
Yorks reportedly used that family member’s debit card to pay his own bills and make other personal purchases in monthly sums nearly equal to that of the family member’s monthly income.
He’s accused of doing so until September 2022, and Nessel says Yorks did not have legal authority to use the family member’s money for himself.
“When a vulnerable adult moves into a residential care setting, it is not open season on their bank account and income,” Nessel said. “Those who take advantage of a family member engage in an egregious breach of trust. My office will continue to investigate and prosecute these cases of suspected vulnerable adult abuse, and I encourage anyone out there who suspects such abuse to report it to my dedicated team of investigators.”
You can submit reports of suspected elder abuse directly to the Department of Attorney General via the new Elder Financial Exploitation/Patient Abuse Complaint webform.
