Attorney General Marshall Announces Conviction of Etowah County Woman
Exploited Elderly Woman in an Assisted Living Facility for $10 Million
(MONTGOMERY)—Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the conviction of an Etowah County woman for exploiting an elderly resident of an Etowah County assisted living facility out of over $10 million. Lisa Talton Wells Daugherty, 57, of Attalla, pleaded guilty today in the Circuit Court of Etowah County to four counts of Financial Exploitation of an Elderly Person First Degree, a Class B Felony. Daugherty was sentenced to serve 20 years, split to serve 5 years in the Department of Corrections. Daugherty also agreed to relinquish all claims to approximately $5,500,000 in currency that is the subject of pending federal litigation and to make restitution for the remaining balance.
“Daugherty will feel the full force of justice after using her position as a caregiver to exploit a vulnerable elderly woman from her life savings,” said Attorney General Marshall. “This is an egregious example of financial fraud that continues to happen in our state, and I urge Alabamians to contact my office if they suspect someone is being used for Medicaid fraud or abuse.”
Daugherty’s exploits totaled $8,513,847.62 in cash, over $500,000 in personal property, and nearly $1,000,000 in real property from an elderly resident in an Etowah County assisted living facility. Daugherty has been held in the Etowah County Jail on a $1,000,000 cash bond since her arrest in July 2021 by agents of the Alabama Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
The investigation was initiated by Attorney General Marshall’s Office, after a referral from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama. Officials determined that, while Daugherty was employed as a care technician at Oak Landing Assisted Living in Etowah County, she became power of attorney for the elderly victim who was a resident of the facility. Daugherty immediately began transferring funds from the victim’s accounts to her own, ultimately totaling over $8,500,000. Daugherty also took control over the victim’s real and personal property, valued at over $1,500,000. Daugherty then used the victim’s money to benefit herself by purchasing a home in Etowah County and a beach house, each valued over $1,000,000; multiple vehicles valued over $120,000; and $86,000 in dental implants, among other purchases.
Attorney General Marshall commended the staff of his Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for their work on the investigation and Assistant Attorneys General Katie Langer and Chris Moore for bringing the matter to a successful conclusion. He also thanked the staff of the Alabama Securities Commission, the United States Secret Service, Social Security Administration, and Internal Revenue Service for their assistance with the investigation.
The Alabama Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is a division of the Alabama Attorney General’s Office. It receives 75 percent of its funding from a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Inspector General.
