When the Trustee Steals From a Trust 

If a Trustee squanders a lot of money, shouldn't he/she be legally obligated to repay it out of his/her own funds????

Going through this now, requested accounting and an audit!

I can tell you stories… been at this since the ‘70’s and literally thousands of estates and trusts! One trustee, a professional licensed by State of California, “misappropriated” money from a special needs trust beneficiary and then committed suicide. Countless others have failed to act in responsible ways and breached fiduciary duties at the expense of seniors and other family members. They ALWAYS blame someone else and it takes years to sort out and the money get eaten up in legal fees.

Super good video. Thank you Paul. I think beneficiaries need to know how important it is to gather and track assets themselves even before their parents/grandparents die. If they have died, we need instructions on how to find out about what accounts, properties, insurance benefits, etc... were available to prevent/discourage theft from a trustee. When someone dies, one thief can wreak havoc for everyone else. Beneficiaries should be told to ask for copies of specific estate details as early as possible and not be shy. You are such a good teacher! Thank you bro!

My friend's husband conspired with his 'lawyer, executor friend' to steal her family trust and estate, changed the will, left her destitute and both left the country. 20 years ago.

Thank you for all your videos❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Thanks, Paul. I really enjoy your videos.

If a trustee is acting fraudulently, like he said, you should move (with court support) to remove them. If they acted criminally, the law and prosecutor should be notified and charges brought and if accurate, guilty and time served. If they stole from the Trust, even if removed, you will need to sue them for the damage done and get a court order and wages garnished, bank accounts frozen, etc. Since everything is based on Social Security numbers, there will be a trail. You may need to get a subpoena for the records, again by court order, but can be done! :)

Hi Paul, thank you for your video! 1st issue is my father & mom only had “Living Trust “ for many years. I was one Trustee & mom’s daughter as well! 2004, they changed Trustee to only my sister! Mom passed away December 2019! He passed away June 2021! Unfortunately, my sister lived in AZ so, she obviously got parents life insurance money and never disclosed the funds from bank accounts, security bank box, jewelry, important paperwork should’ve been distributed for beneficiaries including. Land dad’s land that was supposedly going for the twins! Never saw any progress in that area! Im the only child & got nothing but bills for moving, storage unit etc and had to pack & pay the movers! She blocked me on her Facebook, my iPhone and she now lives on An Estate and bungalows with her husband 2 older kids, 4 grandchildren! I live in a mobile house with uninhabitable house ! Riverside County California! Parents lived here in California since I was born, 1958! Can I do anything for peace of my crazy issues now? Thanks Cynthia

Great advice. Thank you kindly. 🌻

If a crime was committed by the trustee, it should be automatic that game is over, and the trust assets should be distributed to the beneficiaries retiring the trust. Settlor has made a mistake in appointment, and who’s to say that the next successor trustee would be any better than settlor’s first choice. This is too common, and torturous for the beneficiaries to sustain continuance of trust administration. Of course beneficiaries would have to be of adult age and able. Just an opinion from experience.

OMG. Why do I as a beneficiary need to bare the burden of proof when the trustee has acted illegally. I am aware that this happened. My sister was POA and didn't apply as a trustee and PR. Just about everything you said in this video happened My other sister and I were robbed, taken advantage of, there were allegedly very vicious statements made by my sister, who was POA , to her attorney that if I had gone to civil court...these statements would be used against me to prove my poor character. From listening to your video due to her illegal actions why would I need to bare burden of proof . And would I need to go to court to show her culpability concerning her illegal activity?

What is the recourse if the Beneficiary has requested many times in the oeriod of 13 months and all requests for Trust bank accounts have been ignored? Even by the Trustees atty? Is there a formal document to present? Or is it once again, the ONLY recourse is to go into court. This can be difficult since the Trustee has complete control of the money

Thank You for making these informative videos I have learned so much from watching🙏🏻

MONEY & POWER ARE A DRUG!

My older sibling (trustee) stole millions from me for himself, his daughter and his Eastern European gold digger wife. This happened 20 years ago. I was never in a financial position to do anything about it.

Very good!!

My siblings Hijacked my fathers WILL before he died. He left me more cause I was born w a disability. They also embezzled $ and left me a tiny bit but won't pay my medical bills nothing. I get a small mo payment but can't pay a full bill w it. They've done worse and I can't get a lawyer at all cause of them. I was finally advised what to do but I don't have much evidence praying it works out.

My mother died 3 years ago and only discussed her final wishes once at a family meeting she requested. Her final wishes were that she was leaving her home to her 3 sons and upon sale of her house we were to give our cousin funds in order to repay her sister. Straight forward stuff. When she passed we discovered that she put her house in a trust with her eldest son in charge. This was done on his advice. The night she died he disappeared. He sold his house and got out of town. He's very knowledgable with probate and trust issues due to his work it also knows all the swindle. Long story short, he never contacted myself or my brother, or so I thought. It turns a out that when I asked my brother if he had spoken with our brother he said no; just that letter I got I. The mail awhile.back

Happening, now, we're on it!

Great info…

Yes so true

Get a Trustee Bond before any money is spent. Probate Court court does this for estates of deceased persons. Money is spent and you can’t get it back and the trustee is low income or gets a felony fraud conviction and is unable to get a good paying job.. Is their Trustee insurance? Deal with it.

I find everthing I need on youtube

Always listen to the end! Common sense continues to the last minutes!

My sister had my mother put her on joint bank account and when my mom passed away, I was named to receive money from my mom. Attorney told me that because my sister was joint on bank account, all money belongs to her and it is no longer considered part of the trust, I am getting nothing. I live in California and the laws do not protect me. I am devastated.

Do a video on how to insure your trust is not violated by criminal trustees

Disabled epilepsy and massive TBI dr wants me to sue them

Great information. My ex husband/kids dad passed away in 2014 in GA, where we all live. His family is from TX and came over and took all his belonging, my kids things that were at his house and his body back to TX within a couple days of him passing. His kids didn't even get to go to their own dad's funeral...although I drove nonstop and contacted the funeral home to see if the kids could come say goodbye to their dad fefore anyone got there. The wetr able to see him and say goodbye. My heart was so shattered for them. We went to the gravesite so they could see where he would be buried eventhough he had always said he wanted to be cremated and never wanted to be buried in TX. His parents came to see the kids and said he had made a new will, 2 weeks before he killed himself. He asked to speak to me when he dropped the kids off the day before he did it. He apologized (as he had done several times) for ruining our marriage, hurting me and the kids and for all he had done and that I had to see and deal with. I had spent over half my lufe at that point with him. I told his it was ok and we would be fine. He told me he was hearing voices, which he had done before. He said when his parent came to visit him a few weeks before that he told them he was hearing vouces and they just left him and went back to TX. I said I no longer have power of attorney for anything but I asked him if he wanted me to go with him to see doctor. He said no, he would be ok. He was engaged to someone he had met 4 months prior and living with her. He knew all about his history from 2008-2014 he said. So I figured she would encourge him to go or go with him. He said he would text me in the morning and let me know when he would pick up the kids the next day and left. That was the last I heard from him. He went home, told his gf where all his papers were (according to her the next day when she called to tell me he killed himself) and that he needed to go drive around and clear his head. He went to the park close to her place and shot himself. My kids were 11 and 13 at the time, his only children. I feel like the ball got dropped by the county from day one. His kids were his next of kin and they never notified me as their guardian that he died or that his family was coming to take everything. My kids got nothing, not even their clothes or toys. We were married 1994, divorced in 95 and married again in 1996-2011. We had an attorney do our seperate wills so I still had a copy. I took the will and filed it at the county probate court where he lived and died. I was told by the clerk that there was no sense in probating the will because we were divorced and the judge would probably not honor it and that a will is only a suggestion. She also said the probate process is expensive and I would be wasting money. I didn't have money to waste. I now had to focus on my children and raising them on my own. His family knew that. He was a good father and loved his kids more than anything. He always wanted to make sure they would be taken care of if anything happened to him. He had a very large life insurance policy when we were married that I know he would not have let lapse, and I'm certain the kids were listed as beneficiary but his family led me to believe it lapsed. He was also ordered through our divorce decree to carry a seperate policy to cover the cost of child support, calculated by the amount of the support times the number of years until the kids turned 18 times 2 since I had 2 kids. Which he did get a policy for that. He had the kids listed as beneficiaries, since they were minors he told me via email that he was changing that to his brother and that if anything happened to him I could go through his brother to get the money to care for the kids and he cc'd his brother in that email. So they knew what that money was to be used for. I got nothing, not one dime from his family to help with the kids, no calls to check on them, no cards for them for birthday or Christmas. I did not hear or get notice that they collected on any policies. I did not hear much from his family after he died at all. I kept the same home & cell number and address.. still to this day so if they wanted to see or talk to the kids they could. They knew my money was limited and no free time. I didn't get a years support b/c I didn’t even know that was a thing or where I would even file that until 8 yrs after he died. My son had heart surgery in 2016 and I emailed them to let them know what was going on, all the details and they sent a card and some candy, that was it. They didn’t come or send anything when either of the kids graduated and only came over (his parents) once for one of my daughter's cheer competitions and brought one of my ex's ex girlfriends with them. Not even the one he was living that he was supposedly engaged to. 🤦🏼‍♀️So disrespectful but I didn’t say anything about that. Fast forward 8.5 yrs, his family reached out to the youngest to get my son's current address since he had turned 21, 2022. He was no longer living at home and he still carried resentment with them about how they handled everything. They said there was a trust that was set up for the kids. My son asked for a copy of the trust and a copy of the will. They refuse to give the kids anything. They are saying they are doing what their dad wanted, and they would get a ck at 21, 25 and 30 and wouldn't even say for how much. They did send my son a check and a screenshot of a single line of what was headed "Testementary Trust", that said his uncle was trustee. I contacted the insuance companies, since I had account numbers and who to call on 2 of them, with my son on the line and of course they couldn't tell us anything 8.5 yrs after the fact except the account was closed out. They said they couldn't say what that means and that it could mean it was canceled by my ex or had lapsed or that it paid out and was closed. It is very frustrating. Their dad would have never left them with nothing nor withheld and documents from them. He would want them to know what he left them. I spoke with 2 probate attorney's at the request of my kids that wanted $4500 and $6000 retainer just to take the kids on. They told my son not to cash the check, which he didn’t until recently, he said he needed the money. I don't have that kind of money for a retainer. I am a single mom. I haven't remarried and only dated 2 people since 2011. I was to busy raising my kids, working and taking care of our home. I did do some digging for the kids and found out he had at least 3 policies that paid out. One I wasn't even aware of untik I did a search on Dept of Financial services lost policy site dfs.ny.gov and NAIC.org. Kids were never notified of anything either. I have tried to find out where the will they claim my ex did 2 weeks before he died is probated but have hit deadends everywhere. It's not in Ga where he lived the last 23 yrs of his life and not in any of 3 counties in Tx where he grew up, is buried or where his brother lives. It seems they are being very deceptive with everything. How can anyone contest a will if they can't see it. How do the kids know what is even in it? or what the Trust actually says? or how much and who was listed as beneficiaries of the Insirance policies? Shouldn't I have been notified from the personal administrator (pretty use the same brother that was cc'd on the email) of the estate as creditor since it was in our divorce decree that he had to carry a policy to help pay for the care of the children if anything happened? And shouldn't the kids have been notified if they were his only heirs and the beneficiaries on at least 1 policy? I suspect they may have forged some documents, possibly even the last minute will, they won't show the kids. My ex had told me once before he felt like all his family wanted was his money. He made 3 times what I did. He mentioned that to others as well. Also, wouldn't the will be invalid if he told his family and me that he was hearing voices when he supposedly made a new will? And if his brother was a witness on this will and he also benefitted from his death? doesn't that send red flags to any probate courts that may see the documents? I just don't know where to turn or what to tell my kids to do. They have asked me and I feel so helpless. Yes, they should contest both the will and the trust, if there is forgery and deception but I can't even tell them how to get to step 1, finding out what county probate they went through. I know their dad would be so upset with how this was handled. Any advise for me or my kids? Oct will be 9 years since their dad died and it has been a strain on so many levels for me and the kids. They should not have to fight like this for something that is rightfully theirs. They told my son when he asked again about the will that he should be grateful for anything he gets and that after paying all the taxes my ex owed (which he didn’t owe any except for what he worked Jan-Oct the year he died. He filed bankruptcy in 2012 so he had no debts) there wasn't much left in his estate. From my research and understanding, a Testementary Trust can be funded from life insurance policies and that pitects the money from being used to pay out debts from the estate fund. Is that correct? With the amounts of the 2 pilocies I was aware of there is no way thatmpney should be gone and the very small amount they sent my son last year, there should be a lot left. However, my ex mother-in-law told my son he doesn't want to keep questioning his uncle and get on his bad side or he may not get anything else? How can they get aeay with this. My some sent me a screen shot of her saying that to him. People, make sure your kids have an honest trustee and someone that is not calculated and greedy to oversee your estate. I am just at a loss

A will though gets documented with the courts and therefore a person can be prosecuted if the executor cannot prove the assets went to the maintenance of the estate Or if executor cannot prove assets got divided per will instructions . Executor are allowed to pay themselves a small amount of money for handling an estate . Trust are dangerous . People get hurt over money being left to them in the form of a trust. . Some attorneys are fraudulent too! Best to leave it all in a will and give each person named in the will a copy! My sister stole from the rest of us and it was either accept it or spend thousands trying to prove she stole and have her put in jail .

I suspect the damages come from the equity in the primary residence

I'm concerned that the third scenario might apply to my family. I hope my sister does right by me and my brother and it's sad that I'm even concerned about this. However, her lack of transparency and communication has me very concerned.

What if the fudiciary private yet however licensed bonded insured or whatever stole my sister's Motorhome and everything in it never gave it back and said that they had it crushed...... when it's in one of the employees backyard for 2 years now ??? ......Huh ....???

The stealing of my trust account and my inheritance has been on since I was a baby how many people have gone millions of dollars sometimes nothing not properties no 9 +

Hey Paul can you talk about ILIT trust

That happened to me & the executor squandered all the money I was left one million dollars & the executor took me out of the trust

What happens if one outlives a trustee or co trustee ???????? Does the $$$$$ go in to purgatory or does government claim it or does it go to the person it was meant for get the $$$$$ ? Once all the crap is over who gets the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ If your a black sheep ?

How do you know they aren’t hiding accounts

If your a stirpes of a beneficiary, can you still call a beech of trust?

Go LSU!! 👌

Where does the damages come from to pay me for everything the trustee took

My dad put away savings bonds for my brother and I all our lives. He passed a long time ago! Neither of us questioned our step family about end of life happenings and trusted we would be contacted if necessary. I have just, 2024, started to wonder what did happen as I, at least, should have been contacted about my savings bonds?? Birthday's & Christmas dad would get us a savings bond & he kept them in a safety deposit box...can you guide?

I am working a (senior deferral)case where I believe the trustee works for the loan company where the deceased person got the loan. The trustee was the “seller”… does this all seem right..? Anyone? Foreclosure situation… house went back to the bank…or loan place. Still working on it all. Just seems fishy.

My brother had me sign a quit claim deed me not understanding it sold the house and keep the money

Can a beneficiary act as a co-trustee if the grantor allowed and notarized?

This is in interesting video. Let's say my spouse in a blended family passes away. Aren't all of the assets now owned by the surviving spouse to do with as he pleases? Can't they put the assets (retirement accounts and real estate ) in their name only?

Then a Power of Attorney agent takes the money or puts accounts in their name. According to the law the crime is more serious if the person is disabled or has dementia.

What if no notice after form of distribution

What if you believe you may have been a beneficiary, but were never notified? How can you verify the trust if they refuse to show you?

What about when your trustee is voting to transfer funds to a bank account and the bank trustee embezzles the funds and closes your account? Now my beneficiary is out of the assets. I have a foreign grantor trust set up. irrevocable.....

What if the Trustee and the Judge are criminal partners. There are mulitple cases i have ran into that the courts and the attorneys allow fraud upon the court.

This happen to my daughter. They stole everything she got nothing.

"The drug stuff"....that one bothers me, too.

West newbury mass

My mom left money for me and my sister and our kids my sister has taken all of the money and she controls everything

What about if all the belongings were in the trust and he got rid of them all and did not contact me and it was about a half a million dollars worth of belongings or assets and the insurance company had record of it because my mother had a homeowners insurance policy that had I believe a list of everything that was in the house my brother never even took inventory he was in control and I allowed him to be in control and there was no probate can you help me it's in Sioux falls South Dakota

What if in the will they name a friend as a trustee fir their only child Who is on disability

Somebody put their hand in the pocket from law enforcement to government officials I do not know where to go to find out where the money is I don't have any information all I know is that I was I guess the stolen child and it was money that's mine that's been pickpocketed for me and I'm catching on to this being done but I don't know where to go and it's been a lot of people trying

what can be done if the executor gives his wife authority to withdrawl funds for serval personal uses

What do you do when a professional fudercy and drafting atterney steal trust money ??

Why do these attorneys make these videos but never answer our questions?!!!

Can the trustee use trust funds to travel from their home state to the state where the estate is? Or things like travel to the states where the beneficiaries reside to discuss things in person? Grey area things, what’s the legal rules for things like that?

Or maybe the trust company offers the two children a pathetic $1000 a month plus a large fee to uncle Sam and most of it goes to a University and the children never even went to college. Dad had a nice house. Who got it?

Well ours stole 3 million and that’s just to get started. It’s way harder than all these videos say. They make bit sound so easy. Trustees use your money against you and pay themselves to do it! I would never ever suggest a trust unless u gotta extra $700,000 laying around outside of trust to stop trustees from stealing everything that is yours. It becomes who has most money and they will run u out of money b4 you can stop them! Don’t do it

Back on 2014. A. Large. Amount of money appeared in my account I did receive a letter someone was trying to trace me in error I threw the letter in the bin the assasrs were frozen about a year ago the amount of money was removed from the computer. When I asked about the assets they said they were not any there which is lies the branch in question closed down the landlord I had in London was getting all mail redirected I believe there isn't just one amount that belongs to me but possibly more my I d was stolen also where do I stand reference this matter

My uncle did this

Or my brother having a gambling addiction and a drinking addiction supposedly he went through $70,000 in 2 weeks gambling at one point so who knows how bad it was but if anybody can reach out and help me I would appreciate it and I'm also wondering why siblings who steal from the trust or still from each other do not get prosecuted in Sioux falls South Dakota in the past 20 years not one person has been prosecuted who stole from their siblings and the law states that it's 25 years up to 25 years in prison what is going on with the conspiracy and the corruption of the state's attorney in Sioux falls South Dakota why won't she prosecute they prosecute very manute cases of people stealing from stores and whatnot but it's okay that they steal from your sibling and we're not going to prosecute it's not against the law that's what she told me it's not breaking the law what is wrong with this system someone if you can help please reach out

Many people involved many people involved stepping in and asking us to test you but they're not the trustee they even said I was too p I'm not too young I'm older than the person sitting there telling me I'm older

He built his n my land his partner left tons of houses to make up for what they did but papers say 32 acres Maine NH NY CNN so much more

Many people involved many people involved stepping in and asking us to test you but they're not the trustee they even said I was too p I'm not too young I'm older than the person sitting there telling me I'm older then the person another situation my daughter's been collecting money that's my money

Because he had the poa

TRANSPARENCYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!

My mother has made my stepsister executor of her will . My mother and stepsister don’t like me in fact the whole family hates me. My only daughter despises me. They are emotionally cruel to me so much so that I am going to the police in a couple of days to get a restraining order against them . My Father died three weeks ago and my mother is also dying in hospital she has third stage cancer. It’s strange that they are dying together. I wasn’t close to any of them for horrific reasons that I won’t go into here. There is a couple of million involved yet I won’t be receiving any of it. It’s not that my mother has ousted me from her will. She is only leaving me 10 thousand which my mother has put in a trust that my stepsister will be in control of. I only found out the other day. So I said to my stepsister that I have now disowned you for life. I won’t claim a cent. If she thinks that she can humiliate me like this and it has no consequences she has another thing coming. I would die than have to live under her thumb even for one second. There is no way I am handing my personal bank details over to her for a lousy 10 thousand while she inherits close to two million dollars in money, assets, antiques and collectables. I am placing an apprehension order on the family this Monday and walking away from the whole thing lock, stock and barrel. Humans are extremely cruel animals. I have to forget they ever existed now. But at least I got justice by putting a life long ban on all of them. I am finally free of their horrendous cruelty.

Lost so many house Jacob investors marvel films and more USA Canada UK millions cash stocks bonds. I have epilepsy TBI seeking lawyer in newbury mass I have the court file

Trustees cannot be trusted embezzling money without the authorization of a beneficiary

Restructured and Recalibrated my human existence and human internet existence out of existence and human internet existence and Restructured and Recalibrated in Computer Generated Existences to steal my estate and stop my Advertising Enterprise outcome. Kenny Vawter

Trustees can be investigated by the US Marshals office do you understand for embezzlement a beneficiary without telling the beneficiary misconduct of a trustee abusing the power of for their own game

Did you or did you not understand that a trustee could go to jail for 25 years on every account of stealing cheating and line from the beneficiary estates let's really look this up I came acrossed it it is against the law for them to use the beneficiary of State without the beneficiaries authorization they can also be held accountable if they don't show receipts to what they spent the money on it is twenty-five years to prison yes they can be held accountable and go to jail for every account they committed on stolen a crime on stolen files and documents and not showing the beneficiary estate is abuse and power of abused by power of attorney including human social workers who lied to cover up the truth

my father and I were very close I was his favorite kid I am an heir but not a beneficiary his girlfriend posing as his wife is the admin, can she Denie me as a beneficiary so she doesnt have to talk to me when the estate is over 500,000.00

My mother drained my trust account with national Fidelity before I was the age of 18 she was a gambling addict and alcoholic. I never saw penny from this account however in my brothers account was sent to the treasury and his leftover funds are accessible. There’s nothing under my name anymore so I’m guessing she drained my entire account. I was never allowed to see the mail From national Fidelity she would take my mail every month and hide it from me when I was a minor I had no rights she reminded me of that