Calaveras and Tuolumne County law enforcement investigators and prosecutors are gearing up to handle one of the area’s fastest growing crimes — elder financial abuse.
Last year, elder abuse charges were filed against 10 suspects in Tuolumne County. To date this year, 11 cases have been filed.
In Calaveras County, four cases were filed in 2005 and three so far in 2006.
Experts say this is just the tip of the iceberg. Elder abuse has been called “the crime of the 21st Century” and the caseload is expected to rise.
According to the California Elder Financial Protection Network, more than 200,000 seniors are financially abused in California each year.
