OSU ball player, mother charged with theft
By Andy Gates - Argus Observer
Sunday, April 22, 2007 1:03 AM PDT
VALE - An Oregon State University baseball player and his mother, an Ontario restaurant operator, were charged with theft crimes in a case involving more than $30,000 that police allege was stolen from an 85-year-old family member.
Malheur County District Attorney Dan Norris charged OSU ball player Michael James Lissman, 21, Corvallis, Friday with four counts of second degree theft, misdemeanors, in connection to swiping $200 or more from his elderly family member between August and October 2006.
Lissman’s mother and owner of Sansei Cafe in Ontario, Margie Yasuda, 53, pleaded guilty to first degree aggravated theft April 10 for taking $10,000 or more from an 85-year-old family member between July 2006 and February 2007.
The alleged thefts were apparently exposed through another family member and the victim’s bank, Wells Fargo, which notified authorities about suspicious, sizable transactions occurring on the victim’s bank account, according to the Ontario Police Department report.
A family member told police he tried to settle the matter with Yasuda civilly but an appropriate response was not received, according to the police report.
The victim gave Yasuda power of attorney over his finances in August before he entered an area hospital for a medical procedure to ensure his bills would be paid, according to the police report.
He withdrew Yasuda from his power of attorney, though, in October, after he learned from family members that $36,000 of his money was spent, according to the police report.
Police determined that checks written in the victim’s name were forged, and credit and debit cards in his name were also used without the victim’s authorization, according to the police report.
Police assert the elderly man’s account was violated by Lissman because many of the transactions occurred in Corvallis at places such as grocery and movie stores, fast-food restaurants, a bar, a gas station, a cigarette and pipe shop called Bad Habits, a spa, a florist, an OSU bookstore, a property management company and buycostumes.com, according to the police report.
Other examples of alleged theft include unauthorized transactions for $670 from Wal-Mart in Ontario, $638 from Red Apple in Ontario and the closure and partial withdrawal of two certificates of deposit for $16,500, authorized by Yasuda and issued to her husband via a cashier’s check, according to the police report.
One of the victim’s family members told police that bank statements were intercepted by Yasuda before the 85-year-old could see them, according to the police report.
Norris said he discussed the charges against Lissman with other members of the victim’s family and the victim before they were filed Friday.
Yasuda is scheduled to be sentenced May 29, and she faces a presumptive sentence of 24 months probation, or a maximum of 10 years in prison.
According to her plea agreement, Yasuda will pay back $31,601.88 to her elderly family member, which, if not paid within 12 months, would mean she could be sent to prison for 19 months.
Ontario Police Chief Mike Kee said cases like this of elder abuse occur around 20 to 30 times per year in the city.
“It happens a lot. It’s kind of a dirty little secret,” Kee said.
Kee said some people in older generations hate to believe bad things about people, and can be financially victimized because of that mindset.
It has been estimated that only one of every 25 cases of financial exploitation involving elderly people are reported, according to statistics posted on the National Center on Elder Abuse Web site.
Kee said he wants the community to keep an eye out for elderly people who could be victimized locally.
“Ms. Yasuda is fairly well known in this community — if she’s capable of doing it — anybody could be capable of doing that,” Kee said.
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