(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau said Wednesday, two Iowa City residents, 26-year-old Keelan France and 49-year-old Nicole Linderholm, have each been charged with Financial Exploitation of an Older Individual, a Class B felony that carries a maximum sentence of an indeterminate term not to exceed 25 years, following an investigation conducted by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau.

The charges that are being prosecuted by the Johnson County Attorney’s Office, stem from a pattern of unauthorized spending and misuse of more than $500,000 of funds belonging to an elderly family member with diminished capacity. According to a criminal complaints related to France and Linderholm filed by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau, the defendants allegedly used their positions of trust to gain access to the victim’s financial resources, diverting money for their own personal benefit that resulted in substantial financial losses for the victim, with ongoing risk to her remaining assets.

The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Iowans are encouraged to report instances of senior financial exploitation and dependent adult abuse to the Iowa Insurance Division at 1-877-955-1212 and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-362-2178.

Additional information for Iowans related to senior financial exploitation can be found at IowaFraudFighters.gov or at the Iowa Fraud Fighters’ “Stop the Scammers” events in various communities around Iowa.