‘Caregiver’ grooming elderly men
Michelle Deborah Williams describes herself as a ‘‘caregiver’’, but there are concerns she is grooming elderly men for their money and possessions. Authorities have been powerless to stop her, and the men’s families have feared speaking out because of h
A WAIKATO family is desperately trying to stop their multi- millionaire father giving more money to a selfstyled ‘‘caregiver’’ with a history of grooming elderly men.
The family is concerned that Michelle Deborah Williams, 53, of Tokoroa, is manipulating the 86-yearold, who lives in Cambridge and has so far given Williams more than $120,000.
‘‘She sees him as her golden goose,’’ a relative said, adding that the saga had driven the family apart and humiliated the man’s wife, who lives in a rest home.
A Sunday Star-Times investigation has found that Williams – who has a long criminal history – has twice been left virtually everything in the wills of elderly men.
She has also gained power of attorney, next of kin status at hospitals, bank signing authority and has been an ‘‘agent’’ for one man at Work and Income NZ.
On three occasions family or friends have been so concerned by Williams’ actions they have contacted police – but police say they are powerless because the men appear to have acted willingly.
The men have helped Williams build up an impressive property portfolio – she owns up to 10 rentals in Tokoroa and Rotorua.
In one case, Williams moved into the home of a man who was still married to his wife of more than 50 years, causing the wife to move into a flat at a rest home.
Williams became the executor of the man’s estate and was left almost all of his possessions when he died. Family members were shocked when she handed out copies of the will at the funeral.
In another case this year, police were called when Williams began clearing out the flat of an elderly man who was dying in hospital. She showed a copy of a document she claimed was his will – a handwritten agreement that purported to give Williams the right to take what meagre possessions the man had when he died.
Williams got a grant from Work and Income NZ to give the man a pauper’s funeral, and later tried to sell his mobility scooter for $2000.
‘‘She’s definitely getting her claws into elderly males – she needs to be stopped,’’ a relative of one of the men said.
Williams did not want to comment about the allegations, which she said were ‘‘really unfair’’.
It is understood the Ministry of Social Development has been tipped off about Williams, whose family are involved in the Black Power/Nomads gang in South Waikato.
A ministry spokesperson said when it had concerns about elderly clients
She’s definitely getting her claws into elderly males – she needs to be stopped
Relative of elderly male
suspected of being exploited, it encouraged the client to seek help and offered support and information about going to the police or contacting support services.
Ann Martin, chief executive of Age Concern, said financial abuse of the elderly was a huge, hidden problem. ‘‘We think it’s as common as child abuse,’’ she said.
Age Concern receives about 1000 referrals a year of cases involving elder abuse and neglect, and up to half involve financial abuse.
Most cases of elder abuse are committed by family members, but up to 35 per cent of offenders are primary caregivers. Unlike other forms of domestic abuse, offenders are as likely to be women as men.
Martin said Age Concern would work with the elderly person to help them find ways to gain back control of their lives.
‘‘It could be something they want to do, but it could be that they realise they’ve made a mistake.
‘‘Often enduring power of attorney gets converted back from the neighbour or whoever it is, because they’ve used it but they’re not supposed to because the older person still has the capacity to make decisions for themselves.’’
She said the cases were complex and time-consuming and Age Concern had specialist n co-ordinators dedicated to the issue.
Laurie Hilsgen of Carers NZ, which represents caregivers, said it was unusual behaviour for someone to accept power of attorney responsibility for multiple elderly men – ‘‘I can’t recall a similar case.’’ She said if family members were concerned they should take action through the courts rather than going to police.
Wills could be contested, but it was ‘‘costly and messy’’.
HER REAL name is Michelle Williams, but to 86-year-old multimillionaire George*, she will always be ‘‘Alice’’. The retired Cambridge businessman initially told his family Alice was her working name – that she was a dominatrix and that he met her about nine years ago when she wanted to rent one of his properties to set up a brothel.
He has since backtracked on that story, now calling her a ‘‘social worker’’ and that they have a ‘‘father-daughter’’ relationship.
One thing is clear: he is besotted with her, to the point where he has ‘‘gifted’’ Williams around $120,000 in regular payments over the past two years.
His family believe Williams exerts control over every aspect of George’s life, and they are trying desperately to stop him giving her more money.
They fear Williams, who is based in Tokoroa, is continuing to receive money from George even after he promised he would stop.
She visits him regularly and has attended church with him.
‘‘She sees him as her golden goose,’’ a relative says.
George, whose wife of more than 50 years lives in a rest home, will hear none of it. He is convinced Williams is a nice person, his ‘‘special friend’’ from a tough background whom he is helping get ahead in life.
A Sunday Star-Times investigation has found that Williams appears to have been grooming elderly men – some married, some single – for several years. Two have died, leaving most of their possessions to her in their wills.
She is often seen in the company of elderly men in Tokoroa and other Waikato towns.
‘‘It’s become a bit of a joke in Tokoroa – there’s Michelle with another old man,’’ a resident says.
One source who has investigated Williams over 18 months believes she is manipulating the men for her own benefit and the men have turned against their own families. She has told family members she believes she ‘‘deserves’’ the money because of the amount of time she spends with the men.
Her relationships have certainly been profitable – the men have helped her build up a property portfolio of at least 10 titles, including flats, which provide a steady income stream.
Williams, 53, has more than 20 convictions going back to the late 1970s, mostly for dishonesty offences, and has done a couple of short jail stints. Her last conviction, for shoplifting, was in 2002.
Some of her relatives have been involved with the Black Power/ Nomads gang in South Waikato and this has meant friends and family of the old men are too frightened to speak out.
Complaints about Williams have been laid with police and other agencies, but they say they have been unable to do anything because no crime has been committed.
Senior Sergeant Graeme Hill of Tokoroa says police looked at Williams after she cleaned out the flat of an elderly man who died this year, but everything was above board. ‘‘She’s done it all through lawyers – I can’t fight that.’’
Hamilton detective Scott McDougall says he spoke to George, but because he was happily giving money to Williams, nothing could be done.
Relatives say the police response is a cop-out.
‘‘It feels like there’s a legal
She is often seen in the company of elderly men
system, but no justice system,’’ one says.
Williams has known George for about nine years. He wrote her into his will, initially leaving her $40,000, then increasing it to $75,000.
When she hit ‘‘hard times’’ he started advancing her money – and the amounts soon ballooned. Initially he promised her $86,000 for renovations to one of her properties, but when she struck problems with the local council that increased to $106,000.
The family say there would always be ‘‘sob stories’’ from Williams about why she needed the money – at one point claiming she was about to lose everything.
George says he values ‘‘Alice’s’’ friendship and admires her efforts to get ahead in life.
He eventually signed an agreement with Williams capping the financial assistance at $124,000, allowing for one final payment of $11,000 so she could get new teeth.
In the contract Williams agreed not to make any claims on George’s estate, or to seek any further financial assistance. But a sentence saying ‘‘nor will she accept it if [George] was to offer it’’ has a line through it initialled by both parties. It is unclear who wanted those words deleted.
George’s family believe he has begun cashing cheques and the money continues to flow, with Williams asking for a fortnightly ‘‘allowance’’.
At one point George complained that it was a ‘‘bit rich’’ that Williams had asked him for $6 for a coffee on the way to get her expensive new teeth. He also expressed a fear that Williams would try to blackmail him, the family say, so they contacted Hamilton police.
But George declined to lay a complaint, saying he didn’t want to get ‘‘Alice’’ in trouble. The family believes Williams has turned George against them, and he has become a different person.
The Star-Times spoke to Williams by phone while she was at George’s home. Of the allegations, she said: ‘‘I think it’s really unfair, it’s not the case. I don’t like this, it doesn’t feel good, I’m going to go.’’
A relative of one elderly man who left most of his possessions to Williams believes it is time something was done about her.
‘‘She’s definitely getting her claws into elderly males – she needs to be stopped.’’