District Attorney Seeks Funding For New Elder Abuse Program

Earlier this month, the Brewster Select Board sent a letter to Senator Julian Cyr, D-Truro, in support of additional state funding for the District Attorney’s office’s new initiative to combat elder abuse.  

The move came a few weeks after the board was visited by District Attorney Robert Galibois, who provided an update on criminal activity in the area. Galibois said the police departments in the area hold a monthly detectives’ meeting where they go over the most prominent crimes affecting their communities. For a long time, the subject of those meetings has been break-ins.  

But by the start of last summer, many of the detectives were bringing up cases of elder fraud and abuse. 

In October 2024, Galibois asked each municipality to provide data on their elder fraud and abuse cases. At that point, he requested data from 2023 and year to date, which was January 2024 to October of the same year. 

Galibois was able to recite the Barnstable statistics at the recent meeting. In Barnstable alone, there were 393 calls regarding elder fraud. Of those calls, 253 were generated reports but only 13 cases were charged. 

“The percentage of arrests are parallel across the districts,” he said.

In a report sent to the Brewster Select Board, the district attorney found that his office does not have the resources to give these cases the time and attention they deserve. 

“While cases of physical abuse and neglect can surface in more visible ways, there is a large subset of serious, more hidden problems related to financial fraud, scams, and misappropriation of savings and income,” the report said. “Manipulation, confusion and exploitation are at the heart of these cases. While the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office has a department for consumer protection, the number of cases across the Commonwealth is beyond the capacity of that office to investigate. Many cases involve amounts of money that are very damaging to older individuals but do not rise to the level of Attorney General intervention.”

In an effort to combat this illegal activity, the D.A.’s office put together a proposal for a team of experts to work directly on elder fraud cases. The program, consisting of six new positions, would increase the department’s annual budget request by $586,500. 

The six positions would include two experienced assistant district attorneys focused on elder fraud and abuse, two forensic investigators who would “carry out crucial investigative work” surrounding white collar activity, and two victim and witness advocates who would work with social service agencies. 

The funding is being requested at the state level. 

On June 2, the select board approved a letter of support for the program to be sent to Cyr.

“As a town, through our senior center and police department, we do what we can to educate people to prevent them from becoming victims,” said the letter. “We are always looking for additional ways to protect our citizens. We welcome the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office’s initiative to create a unit focused on elder abuse and fraud to help address these crimes.”

According to the D.A.’s report, 30.4 percent of the Cape Cod population is 65 or older. Local municipalities have acknowledged how integral this vulnerable group is to the community. 

The board’s letter goes on to say, “We understand that prosecution of these crimes is a challenge because of the significant time, effort, and special knowledge needed to investigate them. Unfortunately, sometimes these investigations can be beyond the capacity of our police department. The amount of money stolen can have a dramatic effect on an individual’s life, but still not rise to the level of crime that the Attorney General’s office will take on for investigation or prosecution. Local support with specialized investigators to help police departments, victim witness assistants to help the victims, and assistant district attorneys to prosecute these crimes would be a very welcome addition to the local community.”

The vote from the select board was unanimous. 

Elder Services of Cape Cod is hosting a rally today, June 12, to help raise awareness about elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation. The event will take place at the Hyannis Village Green Bandstand and guest speakers will include Galibois, Cyr and State Representative Kip Diggs. The rally will begin at 10 a.m. and be followed by a walk down Main Street as staff, volunteers and guests take “Steps to End Abuse” in advance of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, June 15.