A woman accused of weaseling her way into power of attorney over an elderly Aiea woman, selling the woman’s home and stealing the proceeds is facing felony theft and other charges in state court.
An Oahu grand jury returned an indictment Thursday charging Susan Chin, 43, with two counts of first-degree theft, one count of attempted first-degree theft and three counts of money laundering.
Circuit Judge Richard Perkins set bail at $100,000.
Chin is already on $1,000 bail for a 2010 second-degree theft case in which she is accused of collecting $11,100 from an Alaska woman for vacation rentals and not delivering. Her trial is scheduled for May.
In 2011, Chin befriended an 85-year-old woman and within a couple of months obtained power of attorney over her, said Chris Van Marter, head of the city prosecutor’s white-collar crime unit.
"This victim didn’t have family here. Her husband had recently died. She was living alone, and (the state Dependent Adult Protective Services branch) felt that was not a good situation for her," he said.
So a neighbor introduced the woman to Chin, who became the woman’s caregiver, Van Marter said.
With power of attorney, Chin sold the woman’s four-bedroom, two-bath home on Halawa Drive for $639,000 on June 3, withdrew $600,000 from the woman’s bank account and deposited $500,000 of it into the accounts of her mother and 6-year-old and 9-year-old sons, all without the victim’s knowledge or consent, Van Marter said.
He said Chin also cashed out one of the woman’s annuity accounts and attempted to cash out two others but instead named herself as the beneficiary for them.
Van Marter said the senior now lives with a trusted, licensed, approved care home operator.