Earlier at this time, the Justice Division issued its fifth annual report to Congress on its efforts to fight elder fraud and abuse. The report summarizes the Division’s intensive efforts in the course of the reporting interval from July 1, 2022 by June 30.
“The Justice Division is intensifying our efforts to struggle the despicable crimes of elder fraud and abuse,” mentioned Legal professional Basic Merrick B. Garland. “As mirrored on this 12 months’s report, the Division is aggressively pursuing perpetrators of elder fraud and abuse, supporting victims, and elevating public consciousness to stop elder fraud and abuse earlier than they happen.”
“In the course of the previous 12 months, the Division has pursued tons of of legal and civil circumstances to convey perpetrators who prey on older adults to justice,” mentioned Deputy Legal professional Basic Lisa Monaco. “Working with our legislation enforcement companions, our brokers and prosecutors have employed disruption methods and obtained restitution and forfeiture orders to discourage potential offenders, decrease losses, make victims financially entire, and stop wrongdoers from taking advantage of their crimes.”
“Yearly, thousands and thousands of older Individuals expertise some type of elder abuse. And sadly, the vast majority of elder abuse circumstances go unreported,” mentioned Affiliate Legal professional Basic Vanita Gupta. “The Division is taking an lively and multifaceted strategy to addressing elder abuse, and our efforts replicate the arduous work of so many, together with our prosecutors, crime sufferer specialists, brokers and investigators, program analysts, and subject material consultants.”
This 12 months’s report displays the 4 pillars of the Division’s elder justice work.
First, holding perpetrators of elder abuse and fraud accountable is the cornerstone of the Division’s elder justice work. In the course of the reporting interval, the Division introduced almost 300 legal and civil actions towards greater than 650 defendants who collectively stole greater than $1.5 billion from over 2.4 million victims. A few of these defendants engaged in transnational and home fraud schemes, together with lottery, romance, and tech assist scams. The Division additionally pursued nursing dwelling operators that offered grossly substandard care to their residents.
Second, the Division helps in numerous methods older Individuals who’ve skilled abuse or monetary exploitation. Over the previous 12 months, the Division returned tons of of thousands and thousands of {dollars} to victims of elder fraud schemes, whereas serving to to freeze thousands and thousands of {dollars} for different older victims earlier than their funds had been transferred to fraudsters. The Division additionally supported over 5,000 sufferer help organizations that offered providers (together with particular person advocacy, disaster intervention, civil authorized help, transportation, and emergency shelter) to over 240,000 victims aged 60 and older. The Division continued to assist the Nationwide Elder Fraud Hotline, which helped tens of 1000’s of older adults report suspected fraud or linked them to accessible social providers.
Third, as state, native, and Tribal elder justice professionals are sometimes on the entrance line in responding to elder abuse and fraud circumstances, the Division labored to assist the capability and talent of state, native, and Tribal communities to determine, tackle, and fight elder abuse in its many types. For instance, the Division awarded grants to 6 Enhanced Multidisciplinary groups to work with older victims of monetary exploitation and abuse. These grantees be a part of the 23 native multidisciplinary groups additionally funded by the Division to higher determine and reply to circumstances of elder abuse and extra comprehensively serve and assist victims of monetary exploitation. The Division additionally funded the primary Nationwide Middle for State and Tribal Elder Justice Coalitions to assist statewide coordination and collaboration amongst elder justice organizations, and developed and shared new assets, coaching, and instruments for state and native legislation enforcement to extra successfully determine and examine elder abuse and fraud.
Lastly, the Division is dedicated to elevating public consciousness of fraud schemes and empowering older Individuals and their households with the information and knowledge to guard themselves from elder fraud and abuse. For that motive, Division staff performed or participated in over 700 elder justice outreach and coaching occasions throughout the nation to lift public consciousness of elder fraud and abuse and reached over 28 million Individuals.
To report elder monetary fraud, name the Nationwide Elder Fraud Hotline, 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). For extra info on the Division’s elder justice actions, go to www.elderjustice.gov.
