Las Vegas Guardian Sentenced Following Conviction for Theft and Exploitation

Clark County, Nevada has been at the center of serious allegations of abuse by court-appointed guardians, including “public” guardians, as we have reported here in the past. Most recently, the county was the site of a conviction and sentencing of a woman who was charged with theft from her “long-time companion,” the incapacitated person she was appointed to protect.

Helen Natko was found guilty by a Las Vegas jury in April of theft and exploitation of a vulnerable person:

Natko raised suspicions when she transferred nearly $200,000 out of a joint account. Natko returned the money but that’s when Del’s daughter, Terri Black, tried to protect her father leading to a guardianship case. 

 

“That began our 4 year odyssey of pain and sorrow that continues to this day for my family,” says Terri. She says the most painful part was not having quality time with her father in his final days.  

Although the prosecutor (and the protected person’s family members) sought “prison time” following the conviction, ultimately the state court judge sentenced Natko to 5 years probation, a $10,000 fine and a bar on “gambling.”  Further,  according to Las Vegas Contact 13 KTNV news reports, “she’s disqualified to be a guardian under new laws passed” since the channel’s investigation and news series exposed problems in the county’s guardianship system.  

For more see Contact 13: Guardian Sentenced to Probation.  My thanks for the update from Rick  Black, the son-in-law of the victim in this case.   It’s been a long haul for the family.  Mr. Black commented, “We are satisfied with the [July 31, 2017] sentence. Although we wanted prison time, it wasn’t in the statutes.  Thanks to the many victim family members and advocates who came to support Terri [Rick’s wife].” 

Mr. Black is a volunteer with Americans Against Abusive Probate Guardianship (AAAPG), which was founded in Florida in 2013 by Sam J Sugar, M.D., in response to his own experiences in the Miami-Dade probate court.   

My thanks to those who wrote to correct my earlier mistake in describing the history of AAAPG.