Bluefield, VA
August 13, 2023
This accountant was not a friend or family member, and most of us had never seen him before, but somehow, this accountant was able to obtain POA over my mentally ill father (stepfather) just days after my father was released from a mental health facility, against medical advice. We are unsure how this happened, or how this accountant became involved with my father, because we had never seen my father in the same room with him….. the POA was all done behind my mother’s back, who had been my dad’s POA for years. This accountant had his longtime girlfriend notarize the POA document, and although it was not filed with the courts, this accountant used that POA and caused mass chaos and essentially ruined my parent’s lives and their company. I feel like people need to be made aware of what happened to my family, due to my dad’s mental illness, as I now understand that what happened to my family, can happen to anyone, especially in a small town, where we have a failed and corrupt legal system.
My dad had a long history of mental illness, dating back to 2017. He had diagnoses of dementia, Alzheimer’s, bipolar, mania, psychosis, major Neurocognitive disorder, alcohol dementia that caused confabulations, and encephalopathy. My dad was also very paranoid. My dad was often used financially, because with his confabulations, came grandiose behavior. My dad often believed he was a multi millionaire and had overseas bank accounts, and my dad would convince others that this was true, however my dad did not have millions. He and my mom owned a mining equipment company, and they had assets, but not multi millions.
My dad had went missing on July 21, 2021, and after he was found confused, disoriented, and extremely ill, in a hotel parking lot, he was taken to the local ER by EMS. His blood alcohol content was zero and his toxicology was negative for illicit drugs; but because of his mania and mental status, and the fact that he had escaped the ER, he was involuntarily committed. According to medical records, someone had told the hospital staff that my dad’s family had lied about his mental health in order to have him committed, and that his wife was divorcing him, because she was trying to take over his company, and although none of that was true, obviously the staff believed it. My mom owned half of the company, and under no circumstances, could she, or anyone have taken my dad’s half from him. Apparently the hospital was led to believe that my dad was the sole owner of the company. According to a Facebook post made by this accountant’s girlfriend, my dad (and others) were falsely convinced that his family had left him in the hospital with no money or keys, and that he had been locked out of his own home, and although that was also untrue, my dad, and others, believed it. It was during COVID, and we were restricted from even visiting. My dad was released from the mental health facility on August 4, 2021, against medical advice, and behind our backs. The hospital had been convinced not to speak to his wife (who was his POA) because they were supposedly going through an ugly divorce. This was also untrue, but we assume that my dad had also been told this while in the mental hospital, and since no one visited him due to COVID restrictions, he likely believed he had been abandoned as well. After he was discharged without our knowledge, he was taken to his estranged ex sister in law’s house that happened to be located directly beside of this accountant’s mother, and we later realized that my dad’s ex sister in law and this accountant were long time friends. We do know, from several witnesses, and through text messages sent by the ex sister in law, that she had told my dad, and others, that his family had been “poisoning” him to make him appear ill so we could take over his company, and according to medical records we have since reviewed, this accountant had told doctor’s treating my dad, that he was my dad’s “forensic accountant” and had disc
