With her allegedly stealing money via forged checks from her grandmother’s account, a Tuscola County woman was arraigned yesterday in district court on two counts related to the fraud.
According to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, 29-year-old Brittany Guilfoil of Deford is alleged to have forged checks from her grandmother’s checking account and made payable to Guilfoil and her husband, totaling in over $1,000 of funds stolen from the victim.
Guilfoil’s grandmother has been a resident at the Tuscola County Medical Care Community facility since 2018, and her finances were handled by her daughter, Guilfoil’s mother, until early 2023. This included monthly income from a pension and Social Security. Guilfoil’s brother was made conservator in early 2023 due to an illness affecting their mother. At this point, apparently fraudulent checks were discovered, alleged to have been forged by Guilfoil.
Guilfoil was arraigned Tuesday, January 9, in the 71B District Court in Tuscola County on one count of Embezzlement from a Vulnerable Adult-$1,000 to $20,000, and one count of Uttering and Publishing. Both charges are felonies.
The defendant received a $10,000 personal recognizance bond and is next due in court on January 17th, 2024, for a probable cause conference. The penalty for Embezzlement-From a Vulnerable Adult-$1,000.00 or more but less than $20,000.00, is 5 years’ incarceration and/or $10,000.00 or 3 times the value of the money or property involved, whichever is greater. The maximum penalty for Uttering and Publishing is 14 years’ incarceration.
