A World War II veteran is accusing a former caregiver and a court-appointed guardian of several crimes including kidnapping and embezzlement according to court documents.
Guadalupe Olvera, a 95-year-old survivor of the Battle of the Bulge, has filed a civil racketeering complaint against four businesses, six individuals and the Sun City Anthem Community Association assisted living center.
Cathy Elliot, a Sun City employee, reportedly “removed him from his home and proceeded to convert much of his assets for her own use and benefit” five years ago.
Shortly after, Olvera says the Clark County District Court’s Family Court Division chose to grant Jared E. Shafer, a Las Vegas businessman, guardianship over Olvera and his $1 million estate. Court-appointed guardian accused of embezzling over $420,000 from vet
Olvera says that is when Shafer and his employer, Professional Fiduciary Services of Nevada, billed him for “hundreds of thousands of dollars” worth of services “without court approval, accounting or oversight.”
The lawsuit accuses Shaffer of embezzling “funds from the bank accounts of the guardianship estate … by submitting false or inflated invoices for payment and by taking possession of Social Security and pension funds without rendering an accounting of how those funds were kept or utilized.”
Olvera claims he was charged for expenditures made on Shaffer’s personal credit card for more than four years, saying that the “vast majority of expenses are unsupported by any verifying documentation, such as receipts or invoices.”
“The billings include tens of thousands of dollars for law firms and for bookkeeping services…” Courthouse News Service writes. “Olvera claims the defendants took him for more than $420,000. He seeks punitive damages for civil RICO violations, fraud, conversion, unjust enrichment, breach of fiduciary duty and negligence.”
Olvera’s only daughter, Rebecca Schultz, accused the family court of being “weighted against families,” saying the “kangaroo court” almost seemed supportive of stealing from the elderly.
“I went into this not knowing anything about guardianship. Not knowing anything about lawyers. I’m just an artist,” Schultz told Santa Cruz in 2012, before the court case. “I’m just a normal person. I didn’t know how bad Nevada was. I didn’t know how corrupt it was.”
Olvera’s evidence includes bank statements, duplicate billings and exorbitant charges including a $7,475 bill for 19 days worth of emails.
Shafer, who was charged with an ethics violation in 2003 for a nearly identical situation, has continually refused interview requests by media.
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