Karen Lee Allen, 51, and Wendie Christine McRae, 46, both of Lower Lake, were arrested by a District Attorney's Office investigator on Dec. 15.
Both women are charged with felony theft from an elder and grand theft exceeding $400 for activities alleged to have taken place in November 2008, according to court records.
In addition, Allen, a paralegal with Attorneys Aren't Us in Lower Lake, is charged with two misdemeanor counts for alleged unauthorized advertisement to practice law, one count for activities alleged in November 2008, the second for activities this past June.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Rachel Abelson said the two women are alleged to have been involved with accessing the estate of an elderly man with dementia.
McRae was a certified nursing assistant at the hospital where the man was receiving care. Abelson alleged that McRae was getting money from the man while he was still alive.
Within a month of meeting him, McRae is alleged to have gotten power of attorney and within two months was inheriting from his estate, Abelson said.
Abelson said McRae was set to get stocks and a house as part of the inheritance, and between $10,000 and $35,000 in cash.
Abelson alleged that Allen's role was typing up the man's trust, giving McRae power of attorney and inserting herself into the trust as well.
“They distributed the estate very quickly to themselves,” Abelson said.
The women were arraigned last Friday, with Ukiah attorney Bob Boyd appearing on their behalf.
“I just did a special appearance for both the ladies to get them out of custody and exonerate a 1275 bond hold,” he said.
A 1275 bond hold is commonly used in narcotics cases as well as in financial cases such as this one, Boyd said.
It's meant to ensure that the money being used to post bond is coming from a legitimate source, and not from proceeds of the alleged charges, he explained.
“We were able to show through family members that these were legitimate bonds,” he said.
The women were then released from custody on Friday, he said. Bail for each had been set at $50,000.
Boyd said he's not yet sure if he'll be retained for the cases going forward.
Court records showed that four county judges – David Herrick, Vincent Lechowick, Richard Martin and Andrew Blum – have recused themselves from covering the case.
Boyd said Judge Blum's wife, Debra – herself an attorney practicing locally – was a witness in the case, so a visiting judge had to be brought in from Alameda County.
Boyd called it “a fairly paper intensive case.”
Abelson said there was a related civil case relating to the matter that was settled.
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