HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday recently announced the launch of the Office of Attorney General’s Elder Exploitation Section — an expansion of protections and services for seniors, with focus on deterring financial theft and holding offenders criminally responsible.
On Tuesday, Nov. 18, Sunday joined legislative leaders and advocate organizations at the State Capitol Building to formally announce the section’s launch.
The section will primarily focus on cases involving financial exploitation, deception, and theft from older residents — typically perpetrated by relatives, caregivers, and/or appointed conservators and powers of attorney.
“These cases are as heartbreaking as they are financially devastating to the senior victims, who are oftentimes deceived out of their life savings by someone they trust,” Sunday said. “The many partners who joined us in this announcement share the common mission of protecting seniors by raising awareness to prevent these crimes and deterring criminal behavior by holding accountable those who do harm.”
The section, led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Elizabeth Schneider and Chief Agent Lucas Miller, was created by reassigning existing staff who have backgrounds and experience in the elder law space.
The section is already up and running with a caseload of about 30.
These are complex cases, involving meticulous review of financial records and other documents. Municipal police departments may not have the resources required to take on these investigations. The Elder Exploitation Section will have the resources, and expects referrals to come from police departments, county, state, and federal agencies — and other sources.
