>Weakness in Courthouse Management

>

The 2007 Lawrence County financial audit contained no surprises or findings for recovery, but a separate management letter also issued by the Ohio Auditor’s Office took aim at some weaknesses in courthouse management and discussed the money paid to former board of elections director Mary Wipert.

The letter, prepared by the Balestra, Harr and Scherer, certified public accounting firm of Piketon, lists issues with which the accountants had concerns.

Some issues include:

* the payments of salary and benefits to former board of election director Mary Wipert, who was fired in a 3-1 vote by the elections board in February 2007

* the handling of county money

* interest earned on The Office of Housing and Community Partnership (OHCP) grants

* transferring monies from one account to another at the end of the year to cover projected deficits

* county commission creating accounts not approved by the state auditor before hand

* checks that were older than six months and still outstanding

It also includes suggestions for resolving these issues.

Full Article and Source:
Auditors criticize county management

Weakness in Courthouse Management

The 2007 Lawrence County financial audit contained no surprises or findings for recovery, but a separate management letter also issued by the Ohio Auditor’s Office took aim at some weaknesses in courthouse management and discussed the money paid to former board of elections director Mary Wipert.

The letter, prepared by the Balestra, Harr and Scherer, certified public accounting firm of Piketon, lists issues with which the accountants had concerns.

Some issues include:

* the payments of salary and benefits to former board of election director Mary Wipert, who was fired in a 3-1 vote by the elections board in February 2007

* the handling of county money

* interest earned on The Office of Housing and Community Partnership (OHCP) grants

* transferring monies from one account to another at the end of the year to cover projected deficits

* county commission creating accounts not approved by the state auditor before hand

* checks that were older than six months and still outstanding

It also includes suggestions for resolving these issues.

Full Article and Source:
Auditors criticize county management

>Hunter Removed Client Files

>

A county official said that he is confident an audit of the public administrator’s office will be authorized.

The action apparently is being taken as a result of outgoing Administrator Rita Hunter having emptied the office of records and client files.

Presiding Commissioner John Bartosh said he talked to Prosecutor Dean Dankelson and Treasurer Richard Webster, but that they did not have all the information they needed to proceed with arranging the audit. They will meet again on the audit issue.

“I’m sure we’re going to have one,” he said. County officials were still missing information on some bank accounts of the administrator’s office that would be needed for an audit.

The new public administrator who took office Jan. 1, Angie Casavecchia, called for the audit. Hunter has returned the files, but Casavecchia has called for the audit to make sure that they are intact.

Hunter was defeated in last year’s elections. Complaints had arisen about her handling of cases, including the arrest of a California woman who had taken her elderly Carthage mother home with her after the mother had been made a ward of the public administrator without the family’s knowledge.

A Springfield attorney has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the administrator’s wards alleging that exorbitant fees have been charged to some of them and that others are missing money or property.

When the newly elected public administrator took office last week, she found that both the paper files and computer records of the wards had been taken from the office. There are about 300 people under guardianship.

The new administrator said that without the files, she had no information on the finances, living arrangements or medical status of those under her care.

About 30 boxes of paper files were later surrendered to county officials by Hunter.

Full Article and Source:
Commissioner confident in audit authorization

See also:
Attorney Fees Challenged

Hunter Removed Client Files

A county official said that he is confident an audit of the public administrator’s office will be authorized.

The action apparently is being taken as a result of outgoing Administrator Rita Hunter having emptied the office of records and client files.

Presiding Commissioner John Bartosh said he talked to Prosecutor Dean Dankelson and Treasurer Richard Webster, but that they did not have all the information they needed to proceed with arranging the audit. They will meet again on the audit issue.

“I’m sure we’re going to have one,” he said. County officials were still missing information on some bank accounts of the administrator’s office that would be needed for an audit.

The new public administrator who took office Jan. 1, Angie Casavecchia, called for the audit. Hunter has returned the files, but Casavecchia has called for the audit to make sure that they are intact.

Hunter was defeated in last year’s elections. Complaints had arisen about her handling of cases, including the arrest of a California woman who had taken her elderly Carthage mother home with her after the mother had been made a ward of the public administrator without the family’s knowledge.

A Springfield attorney has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the administrator’s wards alleging that exorbitant fees have been charged to some of them and that others are missing money or property.

When the newly elected public administrator took office last week, she found that both the paper files and computer records of the wards had been taken from the office. There are about 300 people under guardianship.

The new administrator said that without the files, she had no information on the finances, living arrangements or medical status of those under her care.

About 30 boxes of paper files were later surrendered to county officials by Hunter.

Full Article and Source:
Commissioner confident in audit authorization

See also:
Attorney Fees Challenged

>Attorney Contests Removal

>

A part-owner of a guardianship and conservator company is fighting his removal from some cases in Macomb County Probate Court.

Alan Polack is one of three owners of ADDMS Guardianship Services, under investigation for possible questionable financial issues in about three to four dozen cases to which it was named in Macomb Probate Court.

Polack has resigned from various positions (conservator, guardian, personal representative, trustee or public administrator) in some cases but is contesting his removal in a handful of other cases.

The Michigan Supreme Court commissioned an audit and The Whall Group, an forensic auditing firm, found “multiple problems in accounts for assets and income” in cases where ADDMS was assigned as the conservator or guardian.

Kenneth Sanborn was named acting chief judge, replacing Judge Kathryn George as chief. George was cited in the audit for “demonstrating poor oversight” in appointing a large number of cases to ADDMS.

Although ADDMS has been removed from or resigned from its cases, Polack’s attorney said: “It voluntarily resigned without any finding or acknowledgement of wrongdoing.”

George has also denied wrongdoing and claimed that the random court assignment process was overridden for more than a year, resulting in a large number of ADDMS cases assigned to her.

Full Article and Source:
Probate attorney contests removal from some cases

See also:
Judicial Investigation

Attorney Contests Removal

A part-owner of a guardianship and conservator company is fighting his removal from some cases in Macomb County Probate Court.

Alan Polack is one of three owners of ADDMS Guardianship Services, under investigation for possible questionable financial issues in about three to four dozen cases to which it was named in Macomb Probate Court.

Polack has resigned from various positions (conservator, guardian, personal representative, trustee or public administrator) in some cases but is contesting his removal in a handful of other cases.

The Michigan Supreme Court commissioned an audit and The Whall Group, an forensic auditing firm, found “multiple problems in accounts for assets and income” in cases where ADDMS was assigned as the conservator or guardian.

Kenneth Sanborn was named acting chief judge, replacing Judge Kathryn George as chief. George was cited in the audit for “demonstrating poor oversight” in appointing a large number of cases to ADDMS.

Although ADDMS has been removed from or resigned from its cases, Polack’s attorney said: “It voluntarily resigned without any finding or acknowledgement of wrongdoing.”

George has also denied wrongdoing and claimed that the random court assignment process was overridden for more than a year, resulting in a large number of ADDMS cases assigned to her.

Full Article and Source:
Probate attorney contests removal from some cases

See also:
Judicial Investigation

Guardianship Firm Resigning

ADDMS Guardianship Services Inc., whose fiduciary responsibilities in estate cases are under scrutiny, and its owner, Alan Polack, removed themselves from dozens of cases and are expected to continue to do so.

Probate Court Administrator Donald Housey said: “They are resigning from them whenever they come up.”

ADDMS and Polack resigned from cases after ADDMS’ request to disqualify Judge Pamela Gilbert O’Sullivan was turned down by Sullivan and Chief Judge Kenneth Sanborn.

ADDMS and Polack had been appointed as guardians to estates and conservators to individuals in nearly 100 pending cases early this year.

In a state-funded audit of the court by the Whall Group, ADDMS was questioned about “multiple problems in accounts for assets and income” in its cases, according to a summary of the audit by Carl Gromek, state court administrator. It also said Probate Judge Kathryn George “demonstrated poor oversight” in assigning an inordinate number of cases to ADDMS.

Full Article and Source:
Guardianship firm resigning from probate court cases

See also:

Shake Up in Probate

Hearing For New Guardians

Guardianship Agency Removed

Probate Judge removed

>Guardianship Firm Resigning

>

ADDMS Guardianship Services Inc., whose fiduciary responsibilities in estate cases are under scrutiny, and its owner, Alan Polack, removed themselves from dozens of cases and are expected to continue to do so.

Probate Court Administrator Donald Housey said: “They are resigning from them whenever they come up.”

ADDMS and Polack resigned from cases after ADDMS’ request to disqualify Judge Pamela Gilbert O’Sullivan was turned down by Sullivan and Chief Judge Kenneth Sanborn.

ADDMS and Polack had been appointed as guardians to estates and conservators to individuals in nearly 100 pending cases early this year.

In a state-funded audit of the court by the Whall Group, ADDMS was questioned about “multiple problems in accounts for assets and income” in its cases, according to a summary of the audit by Carl Gromek, state court administrator. It also said Probate Judge Kathryn George “demonstrated poor oversight” in assigning an inordinate number of cases to ADDMS.

Full Article and Source:
Guardianship firm resigning from probate court cases

See also:

Shake Up in Probate

Hearing For New Guardians

Guardianship Agency Removed

Probate Judge removed

Shake-Up in Probate

“Ousted chief judge Kathryn George will no longer hear any cases on wills and estates.”



The chief judge of Macomb Probate Court signed an administrative order removing Judge Kathryn George from all cases involving wills and estates.

Kenneth Sanborn was called out of retirement by the state Supreme Court to replace George as chief judge. Sanborn said: “Hopefully this will clear up some of the issues in the court.”

Sanborn said he is reviewing 82 questionable cases, most of which involve Shelby Township-based ADDMS Guardianship Services. A recent audit by the Whall Group, an Auburn Hills fraud investigation firm, found “flagrant violations” by ADDMS. The audit highlighted several cases in which the agency mishandled the estates of people it was charged to care for.

Full Article and Source:

Shake-up in Macomb Probate Court

See also:

Hearing for New Guardians

Guardianship Agency Removed

Macomb County Probate

Probate Judge Removed

>Shake-Up in Probate

>

“Ousted chief judge Kathryn George will no longer hear any cases on wills and estates.”



The chief judge of Macomb Probate Court signed an administrative order removing Judge Kathryn George from all cases involving wills and estates.

Kenneth Sanborn was called out of retirement by the state Supreme Court to replace George as chief judge. Sanborn said: “Hopefully this will clear up some of the issues in the court.”

Sanborn said he is reviewing 82 questionable cases, most of which involve Shelby Township-based ADDMS Guardianship Services. A recent audit by the Whall Group, an Auburn Hills fraud investigation firm, found “flagrant violations” by ADDMS. The audit highlighted several cases in which the agency mishandled the estates of people it was charged to care for.

Full Article and Source:

Shake-up in Macomb Probate Court

See also:

Hearing for New Guardians

Guardianship Agency Removed

Macomb County Probate

Probate Judge Removed