Case against woman charged with stealing from elderly veteran advances to higher court
A case against a Bloomfield Hills woman who allegedly stole more than $70,000 from an elderly veteran has been advanced to Oakland County Circuit Court.
Margaret Risdon, 60, waived her right to a preliminary examthat had been scheduled for Oct. 6 in 48th District Court. JudgeMarc Barron then bound her case over to the higher court.
Risdon is charged with one count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult between $50,000 and $100,000, aswell as two counts for failing to file taxes/filing false returns. The embezzlement charge is a 15-year felony and the tax crime is a 5-year felony.
The Michigan Attorney General’s Office charged Risdon following an investigation by theU.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General. The investigation was launched after the victim raised concerns that someone was stealing from him, according to the Attorney General’ s Office. It’ s alleged that between November 2016 and July 2017, Risdon wrote checks from the victim’s bank account to herself and her business, Electronic Creations, totaling nearly $56,800 and made ATMwithdrawals totaling more than $16,000. Risdon would then deposit the checks into her bank account andwithdrawthe money in cash, according to the Attorney General’ s Office.
The Attorney General’s Office further stated that during the time of the alleged theft, the victimwas unable to care for himself as he suffered from physical and mental ailments and resided in nursing homes and hospitals. Risdon did not have power of attorney for the victim, nor serve as his guardian or conservator.
Risdondidnotfile state income tax returns toaccount for the roughly $72,000 she received in 2016 and 2017, according to the Attorney General’ s Office.
Risdon’s arraignment date in Oakland County Circuit Court is pending.