LANSING ? Yesterday, Peter Counseller, 57, of DeWitt, pled guilty to one count of Embezzlement of $100,000 or More and two counts of Filing False Tax Returns, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Counseller agreed to pay full restitution of $114,569.86 to the 90-year-old victim and $10,211.00 to the Michigan Department of Treasury. Counseller made an initial payment toward this sum of $60,000 at the time of his plea. As part of a plea agreement, the Court delayed Counseller?s sentencing for approximately 11 months. If Counseller pays full restitution during this delay, he will be sentenced on reduced charges. ??

Counseller was charged for an elder financial abuse scheme in which he stole thousands of dollars from a 90-year-old woman. He used the victim?s money without her consent to pay his mortgage, take vacations, and pay other personal expenses. Counseller failed to report this income on his Michigan income tax returns. ??

?Michigan?s elderly adults deserve vigilant protection from thieves who would devastate a lifetime of savings and financial management for their own enrichment,? said Nessel. ?My office will continue to prosecute, to the fullest extent of the law, people who abuse the trust of vulnerable adults.??

Counseller will appear again before Judge James S. Jamo in the 30th Circuit Court in Ingham County for Final Sentencing on September 11, 2024.? ?

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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