Calvin Curtis Pleads Guilty to $9.5M Elder Trust Heist

Salt Lake City attorney Calvin Curtis, 61, admitted in federal court today to stealing at least $9.5 million from the trust funds of vulnerable clients he was sworn to protect. The self-proclaimed specialist in special needs trusts pleaded guilty to two counts: wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors and defense have agreed to recommend 73 months in federal prison. Sentencing is set for March 15, 2022.

Curtis, operator of Calvin Curtis Attorney at Law PLLC and Curtiselderlaw.com, began his fraud in January 2008 by targeting a client identified as G.M. As trustee, Curtis had legal access to millions in trust accounts meant solely for G.M.’s care. Instead, he siphoned at least $9,500,000 into his personal accounts, using the funds for luxury travel, sports tickets, lavish gifts, and personal real estate. He also falsified financial statements submitted to court-appointed conservators to hide the theft.

One key transaction occurred on January 25, 2018, when Curtis initiated a wire transferring $1,485,000 from a Schwab Investment Account linked to G.M. directly into his Wells Fargo account. That money paid the mortgage on his combined home and office on South Temple Street in Salt Lake City and bankrolled his high-end lifestyle. These actions formed the basis of the wire fraud charge.

The money laundering count stems from Curtis’s online transfer of $135,000 from G.M.’s trust to his own account, from which he wired $95,000 to The Fechtel Company for renovations on his Tampa, Florida home. He admitted knowing the transfers were illegal and that the funds were never intended for his personal benefit.

Investigators believe Curtis defrauded at least 22 additional trusts, with total losses exceeding $9.5 million. The FBI is urging anyone who may have been a victim to call (801) 579-1400. Many clients were elderly or disabled, relying on their trusts for medical care, housing, and daily survival—needs now jeopardized by Curtis’s greed.

“Defrauding vulnerable and elderly adults is a reprehensible and greedy act that is deserving of federal prison time,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrea T. Martinez. The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation units led the probe. Special Agent in Charge Dennis Rice of the FBI called the crime a betrayal of trust with devastating consequences. IRS Special Agent in Charge Darren Lian added that the plea brings victims one step closer to justice in a case that laid bare the brutality of financial predation.”

RELATED: Calvin Curtis Pleads Guilty to $9.5M Elder Trust Heist