A 72-year-old man manipulated a fellow resident in his St. Paul assisted living facility to get $5,300 in checks, a $23,650 SUV and access to her medication, according to charges filed in Ramsey County District Court Thursday.
Peter Robert Arnoldi, 72, of Minneapolis was charged with the financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult for taking advantage of an 82-year-old woman with dementia between May and July. The two met while living at Dellwood Gardens Assisted Living in St. Paul.
Dellwood Gardens interim housing director Jenny Callahan had no comment when reached Thursday.
Arnoldi never spoke with his victim, identified in court documents as HM, until he discovered that she received a large sum of money for a property sale, according to the charges.
Afterward, Arnoldi began calling himself HM’s boyfriend, terminated his own lease, attempted to move in with her and made plans for them to move to Cottage Grove together, according to the charges. He also drafted documents to give him power of attorney over the woman.
When confronted in late May about the checks and the 2015 Kia Sorento — which was in Arnoldi’s name, even though the victim paid for it — Arnoldi and the victim both claimed he intended to pay her back.
In July, he traded the car in for a 2006 Dodge Dakota and $5,889.
When police spoke with the victim again, she said she wanted to move in with Arnoldi because she was “head over heels” for him and wanted companionship and to go fishing together.
But she couldn’t remember his last name. Or writing the checks or buying the car, according to the charges.
She also told police that Arnoldi took “a lot” of her prescribed oxycodone pills and that she would give the pills to him instead of taking them to control her own pain. A staff member had previously told the police that Arnoldi was “an admitted oxycodone addict” and always present when the victim received her pills.
The woman admitted that Arnoldi had taken advantage of her and lied to her.
On Tuesday, Arnoldi told police that the victim was not cognitively impaired when they were together and that he still planned to pay her back. He also said that he traded in the Kia for a Dodge to give the money to the woman.
When asked why he didn’t give the Kia back to her instead, Arnoldi “paused and said because it would have left him without transportation,” the charges said.
In the charges, Arnoldi told police he is represented by attorney Ron Meshbesher. Meshbesher, however, has been retired for years. An official with Meshbesher and Spence law firm said Arnoldi was not a client.
Arnoldi has a criminal history dating back almost 40 years. His convictions include theft, burglary and check forgery. His latest felony conviction was in 2001 for bank robbery. He received a 12-year, six-month sentence for the crime.
PROTECTING THE ELDERLY
Nationally, an estimated one in 10 older adults suffers from elder abuse.
Studies estimate that their financial exploitation ranges from $3 billion and $26 billion a year, said Amanda Vickstrom, executive director of the Minnesota Elder Justice Center.
“It’s dramatic,” Vickstrom said. “And when you have dementia, diagnosed or not, your risk increases significantly.”
Things for friends and family members to watch for include:
- Unusual spending, either in large amounts or on items the older adult wouldn’t usually purchase.
- Abrupt or frequent transfers in power of attorney.
- Isolation from family and friends, or only having on person speak for them.
- Neglect or signs of physical, emotional or sexual abuse.
- Bills that should be getting paid but aren’t, and prescriptions that are paid for but not being taken.