WASHINGTON – As financial crimes against seniors are on the rise, and America’s senior population continues to grow, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley is seeking details on the Justice Department’s efforts to prevent the financial exploitation of America’s elders.
Financial crimes against America’s elders strip them of $2.9 billion per year, making financial exploitation the most widespread form of elder abuse. Victims may face other challenges as a result of financial exploitation, including loss of independence, decreased health and psychological distress. While financial exploitation is on the rise, and is expected to increase further as more Americans age, the Justice Department has admitted that prosecution of such crimes “remains relatively uncommon.”
Grassley, who previously chaired the Senate Aging Committee, is calling on the Justice Department to detail the steps it is taking to protect America’s seniors from financial exploitation. In a letter to the Justice Department’s Elder Justice Initiative Coordinator Andy Mao, Grassley is seeking information on how the Department and the Initiative are working to prevent and deter such crimes, including what they are doing to prosecute offenders and encourage seniors and their caregivers to report crimes. Grassley is also seeking statistics on law enforcement and prosecutorial responses, as well as what authorities and resources the initiative relies upon to conduct its work.
Full text of Grassley’s letter to the Elder Justice Initiative
