Caretaker Convicted In $575,000 Swindle

A woman hired by an elderly man to keep house and care for him has been convicted of swindling him out of his life savings.

A King County Superior Court jury this week convicted Holofa Crowder, 55, of Bellevue, of first-degree theft.

She was accused of stealing $575,000 worth of money, stocks, bonds and property from Vincent Burns, of Bellevue. Burns, who was born in 1910, died in 1996.

Crowder could receive a sentence of three months in jail.

According to testimony and court records, Crowder in 1991 encouraged Burns to withdraw $155,000 from his brokerage account, which she used to buy a condominium in his name in West Seattle.

In 1992, she persuaded Burns to adopt her, and then altered his financial records so that all of his assets would be left to her.

Documents show Crowder obtained power of attorney for Burns, persuaded him his $230,000 bank account was being mismanaged, and withdrew it gradually. Money was spent for investments, loans, gifts to friends, a $60,000 car and travel.

Meanwhile, Crowder stopped caring for Burns. Neighbors saw him unbathed, and his condominium was without heat in the winter and his trash wasn’t taken out.

After a neighbor intervened in 1995, Burns acknowledged he was being swindled. A court eventually stopped Crowder from managing Burns’ finances.