Indicted & Defunct Ayudando Guardians

New Mexico: Guardianship Commission reveals changes to be proposed

September 23, 2017 // 0 Comments

From the Albuquerque Journal By Colleen Heild / Journal Investigative Reporter Friday, September 22nd, 2017 at 11:45pm A special commission on Friday unveiled a slate of ambitious proposals to strengthen oversight of the state’s ailing guardian and conservator system, which oversees finances and other major decisions for many of New Mexico’s most vulnerable citizens. The Supreme Court-appointed commission’s recommendations include hiring special court employees to hear grievances and [- more...]

New Mexico: State auditor says Office of Guardianship fails to oversee firms

September 23, 2017 // 0 Comments

From the Albuquerque Journal By Colleen Heild / Journal Investigative Reporter Thursday, September 21st, 2017 at 11:43pm State Auditor Tim Keller’s office on Thursday issued an “emergency risk” advisory for the state Office of Guardianship based on an initial review that showed the agency has failed to properly oversee more than 20 private companies that are paid by the state to provide guardian services for vulnerable, indigent New Mexicans. The Guardianship Office, which has about 900 [- more...]

New Mexico Bust Belies US Elder Guardian Crisis

September 7, 2017 // 0 Comments

By Juliette Fairley Friday, 01 Sep 2017 04:50 PM Current | Bio | Archive While the founders of Ayudando Guardians Inc. (Ayudando) defend themselves against charges of conspiracy, fraud, theft and money laundering, elder advocates nationwide contend that the offenses uncovered in New Mexico this year are not isolated incidents. “There’s more to this story than meets the eye,” said Dr. Sam Sugar, founder of the Florida-based Americans Against Abusive Probate Guardianship (AAAPG), a [- more...]

New Mexico: Holocaust-era survivor chafes under Ayudando guardianship

August 9, 2017 // 0 Comments

By Colleen Heild and Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writers From the Albuquerque Journal Peter Grotte-Higley was 3 years old in 1939 and living in what was then Czechoslovakia when the Nazis sent his Jewish father to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. As World War II came to a close, the invading Russian army forced 10-year-old Peter and his mother into a “collection” camp, where he recalls hearing people being beaten at night. Grotte-Higley survived to tell the story of his eventual [- more...]

New Mexico: Court scrambles to replace Ayudando guardians

July 31, 2017 // 0 Comments

By Colleen Heild / Journal Investigative Reporter State district judges in Albuquerque have identified 176 people, many of them indigent and all of them incapacitated in some way, who relied on Ayudando Guardians for help with everything from living arrangements to ensuring their funds, however meager, were safe. Chief District Judge Nan Nash and Chief Civil Division Judge Shannon Bacon in Bernalillo County said in an interview Friday that the courts are faced with having to quickly find [- more...]

New Mexico: Who guards the guardians? Ayudando was a family affair

July 31, 2017 // 0 Comments

By Colleen Heild / Journal Investigative Reporter Ayudando Guardians Inc. opened its doors with two nurses and a medical records expert in 2004. It was formed, according to its website, “due to the enormous need for guardians and conservators in the State of New Mexico.” The nonprofit Albuquerque-based guardian and conservator firm – now accused along with its principal owners of looting millions of dollars from client accounts – grew over the years. And, the company increasingly [- more...]
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