Purpose Driven Defects: Position of Trust, Predator’s Lair

Position of Trust, Predator’s Lair

This scenario illustrates a structure that harvests a most vulnerable group, the elderly. By the nature of their circumstances, they can get harvested by the most respected members of a community.

In this scenario, a District Court judge, a real estate broker and and an attorney devised a scheme to acquire property for pennies on the dollar. The victims, all elderly, in nursing homes and without interested family members, were left vulnerable to someone they trusted. The victims were longtime clients of the judge, also a well established attorney in the community. With the families too busy or to far away to actively participate in daily affairs, it was a simple matter for the judge to be named Conservator.

When the time came to liquidate the victims’ property, a quick, private sale went through the system, unnoticed. Since family wouldn’t receive any proceeds from the sale, they weren’t interested. They were happy that the medical bills were paid and there were no issues to resolve.

One property in this scenario was typical. The owners were in a facility about an hour’s drive away. Family lived in other parts of the country. The property was a large house on 2/3 acre of land, 4 or 5 blocks from downtown. If I remember correctly, the assessed value was $158,000. This group acquired the property for $14,300. That wasn’t the only one. Rumors suggested that they owned as many as 43 properties, acquired in this manner.

You just can’t trust some people, especially when you are unable to defend yourself. There are always people in place, ready and waiting for you. The best defense is to have as many real friends and family, who genuinely care about you. I’m sure that there are better arrangements that families can make, well ahead of time. The bonus is that life can be much more pleasant and in good company.

“People stand silent in the presence of corruption, to fall back in the small comfort of passionate defense of virtue they should have displayed, before the fact.”