Ypsilanti man sentenced to jail, probation for embezzlement

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Mark Hicks, The Detroit News
·2 min read
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Apr. 14—An Ypsilanti man has been sentenced to jail and probation as well as ordered to pay restitution for embezzling more than $100,000 from a senior citizen, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office announced Tuesday.

Calium Turnage appeared Monday before Washtenaw County Circuit Court Judge Patrick Conlin. Last month, the 59-year-old entered a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult over $100,000, a 20-year felony.

Conlin sentenced him to six months in jail, which is held in abeyance during the probation period, and two years' probation, state officials said in a statement. Turnage also must pay about $140,000 in restitution to the estate of the victim, who is dead.

Turnage cannot care for the elderly or disabled and is prohibited from accessing funds belonging to someone else, according to the release.

"The defendant clearly took advantage of the victim's vulnerability and this unconscionable act of financial exploitation is an example of why we established the Elder Abuse Task Force," Nessel said Tuesday. "We must protect the most vulnerable people in our state by taking steps that not only hold bad actors accountable for their actions, but also deter this behavior from taking place at all."

Authorities have said that between July 2016 and December 2017, Turnage wrote monthly checks totaling between $3,000 and $4,000 from the checking account of a 91-year-old Ypsilanti man. Turnage had driven the man around and performed odd jobs for him.

About $30,000 in checks were paid to Turnage, and he allegedly made 288 ATM withdrawals totaling $142,000 from the victim's accounts, state officials reported.

Charges were initially filed in December. After a plea deal, authorities dropped one count of embezzlement by an agent or trustee between $20,000 and $50,0000, a 10-year felony; and two counts of failure to file taxes, a five-year felony.

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