Woman sentenced after stealing $24,000 from elderly man

Stephanie Joyce-Bennett Beauford, 52, of Redford, was sentenced to probation last Thursday after stealing money from the bank account of an elderly man, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced last Friday.

Beauford was sentenced to 2.5 years of probation by Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Gregory Bill. She pleaded guilty in January to embezzlement from a vulnerable adult between $1,000 and $20,000.

The embezzlement was referred to the Michigan Department of Attorney General by the state Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) in 2018 after the victim’s family member submitted a complaint.

“I will not stand by while criminals take advantage of our most vulnerable populations,” Nessel said. “I’m grateful for the work done by investigators at the Department of Insurance and Financial Services and for the aggressive actions of my elder abuse prosecutors to ensure the victim’s family was made whole financially.”

Beauford had been a teller at Michigan First Credit Union since 2005. Michigan First terminated her employment following an interview in which she admitted to withdrawing funds from the account of a 92-year-old customer, who was hospitalized at the time.

“Protecting Michigan consumers and investigating fraud are top priorities for DIFS,” said DIFS Director Anita Fox. “I appreciate the partnership with the attorney general and am pleased to see the victim’s family was repaid in full.”

Beauford’s embezzlement charge was filed in December 2019 after investigators determined she had withdrawn a total of $24,000 from the account of the elderly man.

Beauford repaid $20,000 of the money she took at an earlier date and paid $4,000 in restitution as part of the plea agreement.

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