LANSING – Today, Peter Counseller, 56, of DeWitt, was bound over for trial on one count of Embezzlement by an Agent in excess of $100,000, one count of Embezzlement from a Vulnerable Adult in excess of $100,000, and two counts filing false tax returns, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced. Each embezzlement count is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Each tax count is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. 

Counseller was charged for an elder financial abuse scheme in which he is alleged to have stolen thousands of dollars from a 90-year-old woman. He allegedly used her money to pay his mortgage, take vacations, and pay other personal expenses. Counseller is additionally alleged to have failed to report this income on his Michigan income tax returns.

“Many in our state work their entire lives to build a comfortable retirement, and it's tragic they must then worry about protecting their life savings from predators in positions of authority over their assets,” Nessel said. “My office will continue to work tirelessly to hold accountable those who victimize our state’s seniors and other vulnerable adults.” 

Counseller will next appear in the 30th Circuit Court, a date for that appearance has not yet been set.  

To learn more about the Attorney General’s Elder Abuse Task force and its initiatives, visit the Attorney General’s website.

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