LANSING, Mich. — A Farwell man pled no contest to embezzling from a vulnerable adult, Attorney General Dana Nessel announced, closing a Clare County case that prosecutors say drained more than $400,000 from an elderly victim.
Phillip Lee Sprague, 62, entered the pleas Wednesday in the 55th Circuit Court to three counts of Embezzlement from a Vulnerable Adult of $20,000 to $50,000. Under the plea deal he paid $150,000 restitution, agreed to an additional $250,000 restitution order, and accepted a court order barring him from handling other people money or serving as a caregiver for any adults.
Prosecutors said Sprague was charged in March and bound over for trial in September for taking assets from an 82-year-old victim who had sustained a traumatic brain injury. More than $300,000 of the total allegedly came through changes the victim made to his will and trust that benefited Sprague instead of the victim children and grandchildren.
Nessel said the conviction secures significant restitution for the victim family and that Michigan elderly residents who rely on others to manage household needs or finances deserve vigilant protection. Her office said it will keep pursuing people who target vulnerable adults.
Sprague is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 15 in the 55th Circuit Court.
