Now I can't speak for everyone but when I hear or read about robberies or cases of theft, I have a tendency to think of the old stereotypical types of theft that have been shown in television and movies over the years. You know the ones, the robbers walk into the bank and say 'where's the vault' and all that type of stuff.

Well today's story isn't exactly the same but the ending I guess you can say is quite similar.

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Theft and the 'Power of Attorney'

Recently New York State Police arrested Ivan Gerdwagen for the crime of Grand Larceny in the second degree. Grand Larceny is classified as a Class C felony charge and depending on the severity an individual could be sentenced to either probation or jail time, with a maximum possible sentence of 15 years behind bars.

Hand in jail
anurakpong/Thinkstock
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Police were initially tipped off about this case when the victim contacted police stating that $260,000 had been missing from their bank account. The question then became how did the perpetrator manage to get the money from this account. The answer after police investigation is apparently the power of attorney.

For those that don't know, power of attorney is defined as...

....gives one or more persons the power to act on your behalf as your agent....

Canva
Canva
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Power of attorney can be used for very specific situations or it can be used in general. The power can also go into effect at immediately or at a specific predetermined time. Numerous other factors can also determine its usage. Basically, if you have the power of attorney, you can do anything 'on behalf' of who you are representing as long as it follows the rules set forward in the power of attorney document.

New York State Police
New York State Police
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Police Investigation of the Power of Attorney Theft

First what should be recognized is that this investigation was carried out very quickly by law enforcement and that is a complement. From the time the crime was reported to the time the arrest of Gerdwagen was made police had spent 5 days investigating.

New York State Police/Canva
New York State Police/Canva
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In those 5 days, police were able to determine that Gerdwagen had stolen the money over the course of multiple months. The official press release states that the theft or thefts began in August of 2022 and continued through January of this year. The power of attorney may have given Gerdwagen the ability to act on behalf of the victim but not to as the press release states, to act...

without permission or for a justifiable purpose that would benefit the victim.

Photo by Larry Farr on Unsplash
Photo by Larry Farr on Unsplash
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Following the arrest, Gerdwagen was taken and processed at the State Police Offices in Mayfield, New York. Afterward he was then transported to the Schenectady County Correctional Facility where he awaits arraignment.

So like I said before, this case of theft is not the same as most, however it does seem that this one has an appropriate ending.

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