SPOKANE, Wash. — An elderly woman was shocked and sickened to learn the people hired to help her are accused of stealing more than $150,000 from her bank account.
Court documents accuse both Mark and Tyice Strahl of using an 85-year-old as their personal piggy bank. Both figures are well known in Spokane's elderly care community.
The 85-year-old woman, Pat Holley, is in assisted living, and needs help. Before his death, Holley's husband hired a Spokane company called Lifestage. The Strahls founded the company, according to their website, and for the past few years, they made sure Holley's bills were paid on time. They also took her to doctor appointments, even the casino.
"They would bring some groceries in like crackers and light weight things," Holley said. "They were really nice to me."
So nice, in fact, that Holley says she let them use her car. But, when she tried to sell it to a family member, things got strange.
"They didn't want to give up the car, so then my intuition just told something more was going on," said Bonnie Gow, Holley's former ombudsman. Gow serves as a volunteer advocate for the elderly.
Gow asked Holley to call her bank and read off recent transactions. They were both shocked by what they found.
"My intuition just said there was something more to it, because she didn't have one bank statement at all," Gow said. "There was nothing."
Gow found out Mark and Tyice had taken $25,000 the previous year from January to the end of April. That's when she turned them in, but that was just the tip of the iceberg.
The Department of Social and Health Services conducted a forensic audit of Holley's finances. So did law graduates at Gonzaga University.
"And they both came up with the same amount, which was $165,000," Gow said.
Court documents say the Strahls created false documents, forged checks, tricked Holley into placing them on her checking account, overcharged for services and withdrew cash for their own personal gain.
"They were really nice people to me until I found out they were taking my money out of the bank," Holley said.
According to court documents, casino records show a large amount of the stolen money was used to gamble.
"It just isn't right that they should take your money that you worked for and do away with it like at the slot machines," Holley said. "I know it's fun."
The Strahls were arrested on Aug. 31 and charged with theft from a vulnerable adult and identity theft.
Holley wants her money back.
"Oh yes, wouldn't you?," Holley said. "I mean anybody would."
She will need it in a few years when her long-term care insurance expires.
"I got four more years I can stay here,"Holley said. "Then I move out, if I live that long."
"I think I came into her life for a reason," Gow said. "I think I was meant to."
Gow wants Holley's story to serve as a warning.
"It's just really important to look at their bank statements, their bills, make sure everything checks out," Gow said.
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