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A 64 year old Oakland man was arrested for stealing from his mother who passed away in 2008 at the age of 90 in Franklin Lakes. The unpleasant facts were laid out by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, and residents can click here to read the official press release.
Over a three year period, between 2005 and 2008, the Oakland resident took out three reverse mortgages on his mother’s Franklin Lakes home and withdrew about $248,676.00 which he allegedly used to pay off credit card debt, make home improvements on his own house, and paid for his children’s college tuition.
The scandal, like most, was worsened during the civil trial in Bergen County Superior Court when the Oakland man produced a letter written by his mother which according to prosecutors, “..stated Robert Trocolor could use any monies from her bank accounts for his personal use.”…The letter was deemed a forgery by the judge.
The mother, who worked for 30 years as a nurse before retirement, lived in Franklin Lakes with her daughter; a civil suit brought by the daughter resulted in a judgment for $340,000 against her brother in Oakland.
A recent survey by the non-profit InvestorProtection.org showed half of older Americans exhibit one or more of the warning signs of current financial victimization. Situations that make older Americans more vulnerable are:
-Financially responsible for an adult child or spouse.
-Isolated most the time from other people.
-In bereavement.
-Depressed or have other mental problems.
-Dependent on someone else for your day-to-day care.
Additional Reading:
AARP Estate Planning
NJ Hot Line for abused or exploited elderly
National Center on Elder Abuse
The recent arrest of the Oakland resident on criminal charges caught the attention of local media outlets due to the nature of the crime, and the name Robert Trocolor who played for the New York Giants football team back in 1942 and 1943. Robert Trocolor, husband of the victim Mildred Trocolor, died back in the 1980’s, but in the 1940s lived a dream many would envy.
Robert Trocolor played 12 games for the Giants in 1942 & 1943 when he was in his mid-twenties. The Giants were 18 years young back then, and Trocolor played a variety of positions as a substitute player. He also has acting credits in a baseball movie that included a cast of young men in a baseball training camp looking for that hallowed spot on the professional team; the movie starred Edward G. Robinson.