Woman Charged For Allegedly Bilking Vulnerable Woodbury Adult

Authorities say a Cottage Grove woman took thousands of dollars from a Woodbury woman with dementia while overseeing her finances a few years ago.

Patricia Ann Wellivor, 61, of Cottage Grove, was recently charged in Washington County District Court with three felony counts of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult who was unable to identify where she was, what month or year it was, how old she was, the year she was born or the name of the current president, according to the criminal complaint.

The investigation started in December 2010, when county authorities received a report about Wellivor and a woman who was living at the Woodbury Health Care Center, according to the complaint.

Investigators learned that since 2006 Wellivor was acting as the woman’s “statutory short form power of attorney” and transferred money from the woman’s account into her own. Wellivor was not authorized to do so under that form of power of attorney, according to the complaint.

Investigators found that Wellivor had transferred funds from the woman’s account into her own, and sometimes back again. According to the complaint:

• On Aug. 29, 2009, Wellivor transferred $72,221.23 into her personal checking account.
• On Oct. 28, 2009, she transferred another $40,686.74 into a personal checking account.
• On Oct. 29, 2009, Wellivor transferred $20,000 from her personal savings account back into a joint account held by the woman and Wellivor.
• On Nov. 5, 2009, Wellivor returned another $10,000 from her personal savings account into the joint account.

In addition to the account withdrawals, investigators found that Wellivor had taken out money from the woman’s account seven times at ATMs at casinos over a 13-month period, according to the complaint. The withdrawals range from $202 to $303 at Grand Casino Hinckley, Lady Luck Casino Hinckley and Treasure Island Casino.

Wellivor told police that the woman insisted she take $10,000 each year for her work, according to the complaint. She said the money was used to pay off the “substantial debt” that she and her husband had accumulated as well as for payment of a used car.

The three counts carry a maximum total sentence of 60 years in prison and $300,00 in fines.