Michigan woman bought Florida condo with mom's money after being granted her guardian

SAGINAW, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Saginaw County woman was charged with a 20-year felony for stealing more than a million dollars of her mom's money, including nearly $900,000 in unauthorized purchases.

Valda Cork, 59, was arraigned in district court after the state Attorney general charged her with counts of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult and failure to file taxes.

Cork was appointed her mom's guardian in 2018 where she was designated the conservator of her estate after the victim suffered multiple strokes and was unable to care for herself. Cork allegedly spent $1.1 million fo her mom's money during a 12-month period. 

It included $228,817 she didn't report to probate court and $664,872 for a Florida condo that Cork did not have authorization for. 

According to a release from the attorney general's office, Cork's plan was to inherit the condo from her mom's estate without having to go through probate court, thereby cheating her mom of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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"A person who takes advantage of a vulnerable person is deplorable," said state Attorney General Dana Nessel. "A person who commits these types of crimes will be prosecuted and held accountable."

She was in court in September for a probable cause conference and a preliminary examination is scheduled for a later date.