GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Kent County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Becker says his office has issued charges against a Belmont attorney in connection with a case of alleged elder abuse.
It pertained to a conservator who had ties to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Traci Michele Kornak was investigated for how she managed the finances of Rosene Burd, who died last year at age 86 following a car accident.
"Yeah, we've charged her with one count of embezzlement for a vulnerable adult $50,000 to $100,000," Becker told WOOD Radio in a telephone interview.
This is the full list of charges:
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1) One count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult of $50,000 or more but less
than $100,000; this is a felony punishable with a maximum possible penalty of 15
yearsand/or$15,000or3timesthe value of the money or property involved.
2) One count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult of $1,000 or more but less than
$20,000; this is a felony with a maximum possible penalty of 5 years and/or $10,000
or 3 times the value of the money or property involved.
3) One count of false pretenses of $1,000 or more but less than $20,000; this is a
felony with a maximum possible penalty of 5 years and/or $10,000.
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Kornak is a former Michigan Democratic Party treasurer and part of Nessel's transition team after she was elected in 2018.
No arraignment date has been scheduled yet. Becker noted that Kornak is presumed innocent of the charges until -- and if -- proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
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