Woman suspected of embezzling more than $95,000 from Whatcom vulnerable adult
A King County woman has been charged with theft after she is suspected of embezzling more than $95,000 from a vulnerable adult in Whatcom County.
Kathleen Ann Crampton, 58 of Maple Valley, was booked Saturday, Jan. 15, into Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of first-degree theft, and jail records show she was released later that day.
The Bellingham Police Department received a referral on Sept. 22, 2020, from Adult Protective Services, complete with several emails, bank documents, medical records, a statement from Crampton and a spread sheet that showed Crampton had allegedly embezzled $95,169.02 from the victim between Dec. 18, 2017, and March 7, 2020, according to Whatcom County Superior Court documents.
Police reviewed the medical records and notes from Adult Protective Services, which stated that the victim became a vulnerable adult in 2017 and had the inability to care for himself, court documents state.
Crampton’s statement reported that she had power of attorney for the victim and that she paid the victim’s bills, documents state. Her statement also said that she lost her job and discussed with the victim that she had exhausted almost all of her money resources. Because of that, she reported, the victim made her a joint holder on his accounts and not a power of attorney.
Police contacted Crampton in October of 2020, documents state, and she told them that she was the power of attorney for the victim from 2015 to 2019. She also reportedly told police that because the victim’s accounts were joint, she had access to his money to pay his bills.
When police asked her about Adult Protective Services’ claim that she had stolen $97,000 from the victim’s accounts, she said it was more like $70,000 and added that she had intentions of paying back half the money, documents state. She also reportedly told police that she had used some of the money to pay her mortgage on a home where the victim did not live. She also reportedly said she had mechanical issues with a Kia that the victim had previously owned and gave to Crampton.
Court records show Crampton was arraigned Friday, Jan. 14, and a jury trial is scheduled to begin March 28.
This story was originally published January 21, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
