Rochester Man Pleads Guilty in $125K Elder Exploitation Case
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - There has been another guilty plea in a case involving the theft of more than $125,000 from a vulnerable elderly man in the Rochester area.
Charges were filed against 37-year-old Colleen Siverling-Keigher and 36-year-old Corey Keigher in December 2022. The now divorced couple were accused of writing checks to themselves from an 81-year-old man's bank account after Colleen Siverling-Keigher was granted Power of Attorney for the victim.
The criminal complaints in the case indicate an Olmsted County investigator began looking into the situation in early 2022 after receiving a vulnerable adult maltreatment report concerning the victim, who had been living in a secure memory care facility in Rochester for more than two years. The report involved suspicions that the couple were making cash withdrawals from ATMs and cashing checks that were not made in the victim's best interest.
According to court documents, the couple told investigators and Olmsted County social workers that the funds had been used to clean up and fix the victim's home, but they were unable to provide any invoices or other documentation. Siverling-Keigher also stated that an attorney had told her to pay herself $25 per hour for the time she spent on activities associated with her Power of Attorney duties.
While the couple told investigators that some of the money was used to cover back taxes owed by the victim and to settle outstanding bills, the criminal complaint says they also admitted using the funds to purchase new tires for a camper and nearly $4000 worth of jewelry. They claimed they were paying the money back to the victim, but did not have any documentation to support that claim.
Both were charged with two felony counts of aiding and abetting financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult.
Under the terms of a plea agreement filed in Olmsted County Court today, Corey Keigher admitted to one count of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult. He is scheduled to be sentenced in June.
SEE ALSO: Rochester Woman Ordered to Pay Almost $80,000 in Restitution
His ex-wife previously admitted to a charge of aiding and abetting financial exploitation involving a vulnerable adult. Colleen Siverling-Keigher was sentenced to five years on probation and was ordered to pay nearly $80,000 in restitution.
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