Advocates push for revival of elder abuse bill after cases of Arizona elder abuse

PHOENIX - Scams targeting elderly Arizonans continue to make headlines. This week, news emerged out of Yavapai County regarding a woman who lost $4.3 million after fraudsters threatened her with jail time.

What we know:

Elder fraud and abuse sat at the center of a bill that nearly made it to Governor Katie Hobbs' desk during this past legislative session. The legislation aims to prevent cases where older Arizonans get taken advantage of, losing money and sometimes even more.

Fraud Ends in Tragedy:

"The whole time she was grooming him, absolutely grooming him," Alan Street said.

Street said that after his grandmother passed away several years ago, his grandfather fell victim to deed fraud at the hands of his massage therapist. Street said the woman convinced his grandfather to hand over the deed to his home and isolated him from his family members.

"She backed him into such a hole, and he felt like he had lost everything, but he did it out of sheer manipulation," Street said.

A bank manager noticed red flags and called Malea Madrid with Consider It Done Seniors for help. Madrid said she exhausted her resources, but before the case gained traction, Street said his grandfather took his own life in spring 2024.

"This woman ended up getting everything because of it and even though law enforcement and attorneys and everybody knew what was wrong, what was happening, the ways that our laws work, there was nothing they could do to stop it," Madrid, founder of Consider It Done Seniors, said.

Arizona Law:

That was because Street's grandfather did not fall under Arizona's current definition of a "vulnerable adult." Madrid met with Arizona State Senator Shawnna Bolick to draft a bill to expand that definition and offer more protections against theft of someone older than 65.

"I do know that there are people out there that are preying on older senior citizens," Bolick, who represents District 2, said. "There's elder abuse obviously at the county level, the state level. I think you're opening a whole other can of worms by not focusing on something like this."

Bolick said both Maricopa and Pinal county attorneys were on board for the legislation, and the bill made it to its third reading in the House of Representatives, but ultimately failed to pass. Advocates and those affected by elder fraud in their own families say they will fight for the bill to come back next session.

"My goal is to reach out to everybody, every legislator this year and see what we can do to get this passed unanimously," Madrid said. "We really need to protect our seniors."

Why you should care:

"They're just walking targets," Street said. "I mean, and you know, in this society, there are lots of people out there just laying in wait for the right opportunity and the right person to come by, and then they're gonna pounce on them."