GENESEE CO. -- Genesee County’s Elder Abuse Exploitation Task Force has only landed three people in jail, out of 19 high-profile cases.
From suspects such as Steven Neil and Mary Jo Davis, and over a dozen more, Sheriff Robert Pickell and Prosecutor David Leyton have used the task force to catch people accused of embezzling from or abusing elderly citizens.
The cases are often shocking. Sheriff Pickell has detailed incidents to NBC25 in the past where elderly men and women were stripped of decency, left lying in filth, while “caretakers” got away with their life savings.
However, new information shows that since the beginning of the task force in 2007, no suspects have made it to trial. Prosecutor David Leyton reports that most of the suspects are first time offenders, and would receive shorter sentences, even if the cases went through the court system.
First-degree elder abuse is a felony that could lead to up to 15 years in prison. But, the Associated Press reports that since many of the cases investigated by the task force are first time offenders, many charges have been dropped down from felonies to misdemeanors.
*The Associated Press contributed to the information in this story.
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