Laurence H. Dorcy was known as "The Baron." He was a Kula, Maui, millionaire several times over, a scion of railroad money who originally planned to leave the bulk of his $70 million estate to more than two dozen charities.

But, according to court documents, Dorcy’s fortune ended up with a Maui gas station owner who created an elaborate scheme to move into Dorcy’s life.

In his final months, Dorcy adopted a 42-year-old man named Hans M. Kanuha, who eventually became the heir to Dorcy’s estate, lawyers for Dorcy’s former financial adviser said in court documents filed on Maui.

Dorcy died on June 2 at the age of 76, single — and with no children — at Straub Clinic & Hospital on Oahu.

As probate proceedings over Dorcy’s disputed will move toward a possible March trial on Maui, the state attorney general’s Office hopes to join the case on Oct. 26 to represent charities in Hawaii and on the mainland who were originally designated to receive a share of Dorcy’s estate.

"If Mr. Dorcy truly wanted his money to go to these charities, then we have to protect his intent," Deputy Attorney General Hugh Jones said.

The groups that originally were to receive shares of Dorcy’s wealth represent the USS Arizona Memorial, Fort DeRussy Museum, Salvation Army, anti-prostate cancer efforts, Indian tribes in North Dakota and organizations that would preserve koa forests in Hawaii.

Probate filings and proceedings can often be dry, ponderous affairs.

But the Dorcy case "is a page turner," Jones said. "It reads like a John Grisham novel."

It begins with an apparently chance meeting between Dorcy and Kanuha in 2002 at Calasa’s Gas Station in Kula, which Kanuha owned.

Dorcy had been born into a life of privilege in San Francisco on Jan. 29, 1936, and was the great-grandson of legendary railroad baron James Jerome Hill, who was known as the founder of the Great Northern Railway. When he died in 1916, Hill was one of America’s richest men, worth an estimated $2 billion in today’s dollars, according to court documents.

Dorcy liked yachts and expensive cars but had little interest in his own business affairs and often put himself in financial jeopardy, according to court documents. He was also generous, naive and overly trusting, according to the documents.

"Mr. Dorcy was extremely receptive to and supportive of those who had a history of abuse, disadvantage and hardship, particularly orphans," according to the documents. "From that point, Mr. Dorcy referred to Hans (Kanuha) as a poor orphan, and felt sorry for Hans because of the alleged hard life he lived, the constant financial strain that infected poor orphan Hans, and Hans’ purported medical problem that allegedly required an organ transplant."

In 2010, according to the documents, Kanuha introduced Dorcy to a neighbor he identified as "Henry Rice," a supposed financial and business adviser from a well-known Maui kamaaina family who could help guide Dorcy’s finances.

In reality, "Henry Rice" was Petro T. Hoy. He and his ex-wife, Leatrice Lehua Hoy, were indicted by the FBI in May for their role in Ko Hawaii Pae Aina, a Native Hawaiian sovereignty group that allegedly sold fake treasury bonds and bogus property titles to people behind on their mortgages.

"Nevertheless, Hans decided to introduce Mr. Dorcy to the very same criminals who purportedly defrauded Hans and many other native Hawaiians out of their life savings toward the end of December 2010 and the beginning of January 2011, and induced Mr. Dorcy to employ them as his most trusted confidants," according to court documents.

Kanuha also introduced Dorcy to his new caregiver, Hoy’s ex-wife. She previously worked at McDonald’s and as a circus dancer.

"Hans was able to infiltrate Mr. Dorcy’s life by inserting an entirely new team while at the same time isolating Mr. Dorcy from everyone and anyone who opposed Hans’ reign," according to the documents.

On Jan. 20, Dorcy executed a second will that made Kanuha the recipient of his assets, estimated at $70 million.

Then on April 4, Dorcy adopted Kanuha.

In his own court filings, Kanuha wrote, "It appears I believe the Court has already decided without a basis in fact that I am a con man, scam artist, a financial predator who had lied, cheated and exerted undue influence on Laurence H. Dorcy, who was erroneously perceived by the court to be mentally deficient, a feeble-minded old man who was unable to handle his financial affairs since 2008. …

"The truth is that I am a close, loyal and loving friend of Laurence H. Dorcy, who friends called ‘The Baron,’ and have never taken advantage of him and have done nothing wrong to ever intentionally hurt him."

Dorcy told a friend this year that he "would have to be blindfolded before meeting Mr. Rice and travel in back alleys so to ensure Mr. Rice that Mr. Dorcy was not being followed."

The friend said Dorcy’s speech was unusually slow and "concluded that Mr. Dorcy had lost his mind," according to the documents.

During a February doctor’s appointment in California, Dorcy showed signs of degraded mental status, and Dorcy’s doctor "strongly suspected that he was confronting a case of elder abuse, and that Mr. Dorsey’s financial and physical well-being was at stake, and concluded that (Leatrice Hoy) was not a competent caregiver," according to documents.

Dorcy was on "excessive amounts of pain medication, namely Percocet, presumably administered by his new caregiver," according to the documents.

Twenty-four hours after expressing his suspicion that Dorcy was the victim of elder abuse, the doctor was told that his relationship with Dorcy was "terminated."

Kanuha responded in his court filing that "The Baron was livid about this whole incident" and instructed his attorney to fire the doctor.

Back home in Kula on March 24, Dorcy could no longer walk. He was moaning and had pain in his chest.

Dorcy’s housekeeper demanded that he receive medical help. Kanuha and the Hoys then met behind closed doors for approximately six hours before they finally called an ambulance that took Dorcy to Maui Memorial Hospital.

"‘Team Hans’ intentionally or in a grossly negligent manner, withheld necessary medical care and treatment that Mr. Dorcy needed, and only called emergency medical personnel after (the housekeeper’s) demands," according to the documents.

Kanuha denied that he delayed getting Dorcy medical help.

At the hospital, according to the documents, Kanuha told the emergency room nurses that Dorcy had been sick for several days and that he had not eaten for two days.

Dorcy was immediately admitted into intensive care and diagnosed with multi-low bilateral pneumonia and respiratory failure, according to the documents.

On March 29, Dorcy was heavily sedated and was placed on a ventilator.

Dorcy never regained consciousness and was transferred to Straub, where the man known as "The Baron" died on June 2 from complications from pneumonia.