Inexcusable: Taking Advantage of Old People

How does someone become such a lowlife human being that they could rationalize taking advantage of old people like this guy in my former state of Washington did? Appalling......

LONGVIEW -- At his sentencing hearing, Tom Sigea described himself as a simple man inept at finances. But investigators say Sigea squandered his elderly parents' money.

Judge Jill Johanson sentenced Sigea on Thursday in Cowlitz County Superior Court to 28 months in prison on four counts of first-degree theft. Sigea had earlier entered a modified guilty plea, in which he did not admit guilt but acknowledged he likely would be convicted if the case went to trial.

Sigea lived with his parents -- who were in their 80s and suffering from dementia-- for three years in their $400,000 Kalama home. Investigators say he lived well while his parents, who had $1 million in assets, lived downstairs in filth and poverty.

The 53-year-old had full power of attorney over his parents' affairs after he persuaded his brother to give up his share of that privilege.

Sigea's mother Lila Sigea has died. His father Albert now lives with a grandson in California. Deputy Prosecutor James Smith told the judge that Albert Sigea wanted his son to receive a severe penalty.

Sarah Flohr, the Cowlitz Bank trust officer handling the Sigea estate, says the stolen cash, legal costs and other expenses amount to about $850,000.

Rat Dog Dick

Last night after suffering through American Idol I got to the end of Jack Olsen's true crime book, "Hastened to the Grave: The Gypsy Murder Investigation". This was a very interesting true crime book in that it seemed more like a novel than non-fiction, what with the main character being this femme fatale detective named Fay Faron who runs a detective agency with her dreadlocked dog, Bean, called the Rat Dog Dick Detective Agency. Now, there is a strange personal note here. My eldest sister has 2 dogs, one is called Rosie the Rat Dog and the other is named Bean. But my sister is no femme fatale so the eerie coincidences don't go beyond similar names.

Oh oh. I thought of another similarity between this book and my sister.

This book was about Gypsies taking advantage of elderly people and getting the old folks to put the Gypsies in their wills, or sign over their houses or their investments, like stocks and bonds and properties. Murder was also involved. Now my sister has never taken advantage of anyone, but she did manage to get involved with an elderly person. Or two. And somehow inherited all sorts of things. Cars, houses, property, bonds, cash. I am almost 100% certain my sister is not a Gypsy.

Now that I'm thinking about it I've got another acquaintance who made a minor sideline out of being the last surviving member of her clan and thus inheriting all sorts of things; money, houses, property, bonds, bank accounts, furniture, chickens, cars, cows and who knows what else. Sadly, this acquaintance slowly squandered all her ill-gotten gains, except for the cows, and now survives as a modern day junk collector/peddler. Yikes. That almost sounds like she's a Gypsy. She does sort of dress like a Gypsy, with colorful big skirts and garish jewelry and a fascination for the supernatural.

Anyway, Fay Faron and her Rat Dog Dick Detective Agency finally got the police to put an end to the Gypsie's reign of elder abuse. Incidentally, these Gypsie's were from the same branch of the Gypsy Mafia tree as the ones portrayed in the movie King of the Gypsies.

Fay Faron was so appalled by the lack of protection of the elderly from predators that she formed another agency called Elder Angels tasked with investigating financial crimes against the elderly.