Related Federal Cases
- Jan R Kowalski, Bankruptcy Fraud, Tennessee 2023 · Alabama
- Denise Brooks, Theft of Government Funds, Louisiana 2026 · Louisiana
- James Larry Holden, Submitting False Reports, Tennessee 2007 · Florida
- DiAne Gordon, Environmental Data Fabrication, Tennessee 2022 · Florida
- Mari Ross-Alexander, Employment Tax Crimes, Tennessee 2023 · Florida
Shirley Hardaway, Thief, Tennessee 2015
Memphis, TN – In a shocking case of betrayal, 59-year-old Shirley Hardaway, owner and operator of Companion Plus, an in-home health and respite care provider, pleaded guilty to bank fraud and conspiring to commit mail fraud in a scheme that defrauded a deceased woman’s estate of more than $80,000.
According to the indictment, Hardaway served as the daily in-home caretaker of the deceased victim, a 91-year-old woman, for approximately four-to-five years. After the victim’s death in September 2009, Hardaway and a co-conspirator hatched a plan to steal from the deceased woman’s investment accounts.
Hardaway mailed fraudulent change of address requests to Franklin Templeton Investments, an investment managing company headquartered in California, nearly two years after the victim’s death, in June 2011. She then opened a fraudulent bank account online in the decedent’s name at Bank of America and transferred the stolen money to her personal savings account.
The plea included a criminal forfeiture provision in the amount of money stolen from the decedent’s investment accounts: $80,423.67. Hardaway faces up to 30 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $1 million on the bank fraud charge. She also faces up to 20 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000 on the conspiracy to commit mail fraud charge.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leetra Harris is prosecuting the case on the government’s behalf. Hardaway is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Jon Phipps McCalla on January 6th, 2016.
Hardaway’s actions are a stark reminder of the importance of trust and accountability in our communities. Her betrayal of the trust placed in her as a caretaker is a serious offense that will be punished accordingly.
The investigation and prosecution of this case serve as a warning to those who would seek to exploit the vulnerable for personal gain.
Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
