**Update After recording, more money was discovered stolen from Mom's accounts. The current estimated total is $205,922.33 . Transactions are attached at the bottom of this page.**
To: Lennis Price, III
From: Michelle Price-Johnson
Re: Suspicious activity as Power of Attorney for Lois C. Price
Date 2/6/22.... (updated 6/30/22)
This communication grieves me greatly and has taken months to formulate. But, it has been thought through, with consideration both legally and spiritually.
It has come to my attention that during the period of Sept 2019 – April 2021, while you served as Power of Attorney for our mother, $205,922.33 (see enclosed documents) has been withdrawn, spent or charged to her under more than suspicious circumstances. Including, but not limited to, hotel rooms, liquor store purchases, even $5000 at a Mazda car dealership.
After you were removed from her accounts, we also found that you had her paying two GA Power utility bills for locations in Atlanta until they were discovered and stopped in August 2021 (evidence below). This was after Lennis and Tralen were home in Albany.
Mom trusted both you and Tracy to look after her finances because she thought you would love and protect her the way she loved and protected you.
You and Tracy both had access to her checkbook and debit card. You had power of attorney and the legal fault is yours. If one person did this without the other, the large amounts of "excessive money that went into the household would have been a red flag. Because thieves should never trust thieves, one or both of you could have spent money without telling the other.
Summarily, when your access to Mom's money was cut off in May 2021, a direct correlation can be made to "stress because of a lack of funds" coming into your household. From April 2020-April 2021 you spent an average of $16K a month of mom's money.
But, after you were caught in May 2021, and were cut off and made to live without your surplus of stolen funds, I am sure that you have spoken to friends and family, and they can attest to how you had funds for trips and other things between April 2020 - April 2021, but were financially stressed in that period after May 2021. Even if they did not know that the stress was caused from you living above your means by stealing from Mom. You "stole a lifestyle that you could not afford".
The state granted you permission to do Mom no harm in allowing you to be her POA. Violating this trust is a crime:
Types of Power of Attorney Abuse Cases
A power of attorney in the wrong hands can result in a financial predator stealing money, transferring assets or taking other adverse action against the principal.
https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/misusing-someone-s-poa-is-that-fraud-or-elder-abuse-43505
It is also such a cowardly, manipulative, disgusting way to treat your mother/mother-in-law. Not only did you steal her money while she was down, but you also never apologized, and expected her to pretend like it never happened.
She has expressed sadness to me, her caregivers and others who know what you did. The main questions she asks are “Why? What did I do to make him treat me this way? What would have happened if I didn’t find out?” Does he want me dead?” . Having to answer these kinds of questions is gut wrenching. But, I’ve tried to help her stay positive. I also have to make sure her life is secure.
The night that we found out, I texted you with the opportunity to come over and apologize and we figure it out what to do next as a family. Instead you attacked me, pretended like you didn't know what was going on, and never apologized to your mother. You took her money, and left her to deal with the pain without bothering to say you were sorry, or admit your guilt, that hurt mom even more. She knows that you were just being manipulative and she doesn’t have the energy to fight, so she just hurts on the inside.
I also texted Traci, and she said that she would stop by the next day, but I never heard from her again. I never knew that this was who you guys are. But, this kind of thievery has been revelatory.
The opportunity to move on with just an apology has passed.
Witnessing this has been so hard on me too. I allowed you time to do the right thing. But, this prolonged hurt is affecting mom and her future. It has diminished her physical, mental, and financial health. You stole her financial security, and the lifelong savings that she hoped to pass down from dad to both of us and your children. You cut her emotionally because you are her son. Having bank representatives tell her that you came in regularly, withdrawing money from her accounts in a way that she or daddy never did, yet they were powerless to stop you, embarrassed her so badly. Financially, an extended medical stay would zero out the amount of money that we were able to save before you emptied her accounts completely.
You are now fiscally responsible for your thievery.
MOVING FORWARD - To remedy this, I am outlining the following non-negotiable 3 options. One option must be selected on or before 7/5/22 :
Option 1 - You can pay back the $205,992.33 that was withdrawn from her accounts within 30 days. Payment will be made by dropping off the check at mom’s attorney’s office. You can continue to pretend it never happened, just as you have done.
Option 2 - You can pay back the $205,992.33 that was withdrawn from her accounts in the next 12 months. This is about the time it took for you to empty her accounts. This arrangement must be done with the following stipulations:
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- The total amount can be divided into 12 monthly payments. Payments will be made through mom’s attorney’s office.
- You apologize to Mom, me, and your children - outlining what you did.
- You must seek Certified counselling both individually and as a family. This will be monitored.
- You spend 8 hours per month in supervised visits with Mom doing things that stimulate her and make her happy. A therapist will outline these things.
- Any lapse in the items listed in 1-4 above will trigger Option 3.
Option 3 - You can do nothing, and the courts will be forwarded this information as we were advised to do from the beginning. If you want to claim innocence, that will be between you and the state. We will seek civil and criminal resources to get mom's life's savings back.
Included below is evidence of the withdrawals, abusive spending, and GA power bills to two (2) unknown locations in Atlanta, without her permission.
If there are other items that we have not discovered, please bring it forward now. If other things are discovered after the fact, that discovery will also trigger option 3.
You have hurt Mom at the weakest point in her life and she did not deserve it. Your cowardly thinking and manipulative behavior kept you from facing her, apologizing, and trying to make it right.
DO NOT go to Mom now and throw your fears and cowardice about facing what you have done on her. If you cause her one more second of grief, that will also trigger Option 3.
Mom and I are also concerned about her safety around you as you attempt to get out of this agreement. Because of this, limit your visits to her house to the times where she has an aide there, unless she specifically calls you. If anything happens to her or me it will also trigger Option 3, even posthumously. You will be paying her estate back every penny that was stolen.
Please refrain yourself or your family from asking Mom for her things. There are items of jewelry that are missing or that have been taken without her offering. She will say yes because she is afraid to lose your love. But it hurts her that her items are gone, and that you guys keep asking for rings and other items, even after you’ve stolen from her. That is so disgraceful and mean. I only know these things because she tells them to me. She has given you and your family enough, and you have stolen even more. The time of taking from her is done. Return ALL items that she did not give you “WITHOUT” you/your family begging for them. Not doing so may trigger Option 3.
Addendum *** As recently as June 2022, when mom was in the hospital, I was notified that Traci went through Mom's purse without asking. She just saw it and started riffling through her things as if my mother was not a human being. Again, how do you think this makes mom feel? ***
Lennis, I have loved you all of my life, and this has been the hardest thing for me to do. But, you did this to our family. Not me. Your thievery, lies, manipulations and cowardice. You created this situation. My goal is to make sure that my mother is made whole and happy in her senior days. You have chosen the path that you must walk on. You have been given more grace and consideration than you gave a mother who has loved you and given you everything she can give, for all of your life.
I have walked in Grace for over a year to hold Mom together and to not lash out in anger at you. I did not do as I was advised, and send this to the criminal and civil courts, to restore mom and dad's life's savings. I also had grace to not embarrass you in front of your friend's, families and your children. But, you never chose to do the right thing and make it right for mom. Instead you left her one extended stay in the hospital away from being broke, and worse yet a broken heart.
The grace that I am offering you and anyone else that was involved, is why you are not in jail and have options to solve this within the family. But, these options are non-negotiable. Your only options are listed.
In the video I gave you 48 hours, but to be more graceful than you have been, you have until end of business on 7/5/22 to contact mom's attorney, Alex Hart’s office with your decision. Let them know what option you choose. They will forward that choice to me. If we don’t hear from you, Option 3 will be the choice.
People who may have knowingly or unknowingly been a witness to these actions are cc’d below. Criminal acts are not subject to privacy considerations. But, I will only share this information with the people below. I didn't want to leave space for more lies and I want their to be a trail of evidence in case something should happen to Mom or me. I have been warned that you are currently trying to make it appear as if I am doing something wrong when I am not.
Actively showing love and grace to you, when you blatantly have show none for both me and mom is a mistake that has been modified.
The suspicious transactions are highlighted in the files below. If you are unable to view them, please email me at mpj@successlabhq.com .
Contact Attorney Hart's office (you have been there before) with your decision on or before 7/5/22 .
******
Savings Transactions - totals are listed at the bottom of the page
mom-sav1-sept1-2019-sept1-2020 mom-sav2-sept1-2020-sept1-2021 mom-sav3-sept1-2021-jan-28-2022
Checking Transactions - totals are listed at the bottom of the page
mom-chk1-sept1-2019-may-31-2020 mom-chk2-june1-2020-sept-31-2020 mom-chk3-oct1-2020-jan-31-2020 mom-chk4-feb1-2021-may31-2021 mom-chk5-june1-2021-oct-31-2021 mom-chk6-nov1-2021-jan-27-2022
GA Power- Atlanta - totals are listed at the bottom of the page