A 74-year-old woman has been ordered to spend more than two years in prison for stealing money from a Tacoma man in a case authorities described as elder abuse.
Elizabeth Jenson, 74, was sentenced May 15 to 26 months in prison after being convicted in April by a Pierce County Superior Court jury on charges of identity theft and theft. Prosecutors asked for an even longer sentence of five years in prison because the jury found that the victim was particularly vulnerable and Jenson abused her position of trust.
Jenson was accused of stealing more than $8,000 from Jack Falk, 65, who died shortly after testifying in court against Jenson.
Many of the victim’s friends attended Jenson’s sentencing, including those from a museum where he volunteered seven days a week.
Falk lived in low-income housing managed by Tacoma Rescue Mission. Authorities said he suspected his protective payee of stealing from him, so Jenson, an employee at the mission, volunteered to be his payee. Jenson began managing Falk’s finances in 2010. She gave him a monthly allowance and paid his bills, prosecutors said. Mission policy prohibits employees from having financial relationships with clients.
In 2014, Falk began to suspect Jenson was stealing from him, so a friend took him to the bank to inquire about his accounts, according to authorities. Falk learned that Jenson had made numerous transfers from his account to hers, and that she had paid her personal bills using his accounts. Jenson had spent more than $8,000, leaving Falk with only $100 in the bank.
Due to Falk’s declining health, prosecutors conducted a video-recorded deposition to be used as testimony in case he was unavailable during the trial. He was able to testify in person, but he died three days later on Easter Sunday.
Prosecuting Attorney Mark Lindquist said the county’s elder abuse unit is an advocate “for vulnerable victims. People should know there are heavy penalties for exploiting elders, and we vigorously prosecute these cases.”