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Pouring over the trust and will was very difficult for me. My Mom had only been gone for just three months and the ordeal that I had gone through with Cherokee Memorial had left me tattered. Still, it was something that had to be done.

I began to notice little things at first. Things that just didn’t look right.

I guess the first thing that really got my eye was the fact that Starr was spelled with one “R”, not two. Mom would not have misspelled my name. It wasn’t misspelled throughout the document, just in certain portions. That drove me to look much deeper.

I noticed my Mom’s initials where his children were named didn’t quite look right. As all daughters, I knew my Mom’s writing inside and out and this was not hers!

I also noticed that the last notarized signature within the document was dated in 1990.

While I am not an attorney, I am a mother. I can pretty much guess a child’s age by looking at them and his oldest was only about 7. The next in line was about 5 and the youngest child was around 3.

Are you smelling fish yet? Cuz I sure did!

I packed up the documents and headed to see a lawyer here in Oklahoma. I wanted a professional opinion. Well, it cost me $600 to find out the documents were not complete and there were many suspicious entries there. He also informed me that he would be unable to handle anything for me due to jurisdictional issues.

Since Mom’s estate was a very simple one, he said that I should give it a month and see if this guy handled his business as any legal action could become very costly and could take a long time to settle.

I took his advise to heart, gathered my documents and headed home.

I didn’t say anything to LB about having talked to an attorney. I didn’t even say anything about the documents looking fishy. I kept my mouth shut. ( which basically took more than an act of God to do! )

LB told me that he would be making several transfers of cash to me until the annuities were settled and asked if I had a bank account. Then he said that his name would have to be added to it. 

What? You’ve got to be kidding! Add his name to my bank account?

At this point red flags were popping up like daisies!

I gave him the account information needed for him to do an account to account transfer of funds. He gave me a date that a transfer would be made. That date came and went with NO transfer being made and no phone call to report issues. Nothing. Just nothing.

I’m still trying to mind my “P’s & Q’s” because I don’t want him to know that I suspect fowl play. So……. I give him a call.

He tells me that the bank won’t transfer funds due to his name not being on the account. We had a lengthily conversation over the phone and I kept my attitude in check. How, I don’t know.

When I got off the phone with him, I called the bank he would have been doing the transfer from. All banks have their own policies and procedures. I wanted to check out his story.

It was confirmed that they would not do a transfer, but they would do a wire for $25. LB knew that. He was feeding me a line of crap! The fee would have come out of the estate, not his pocket, so what’s the problem.

He sent me a few shipments of my Mom’s belongings. All of which was heart breaking. The first box to arrive was carelessly packed with single sheets of newspaper to protect family heirlooms.

This was the result! There was more not included in this picture.

The small red pitcher belonged to my great grandmother. Everything in the box was in this condition. The delft mug and crystal belonged to my grandmother. The Pink depression glass was also my grandmother’s. How do you explain packing this stuff in a single sheet of news paper and not even insuring the box? This can not be justified! These items can NOT be replaced! I was emotionally crushed as I went through this box. These things had been kept in my Mom’s curio cabinet and were undamaged ANYWHERE! Not so much as a chip. Now all broken due to his careless packing of my family’s treasures.

I cried for days over this. I was crushed! This is the man my Mother trusted to take care of her business. This is the man that was to handle her affairs and look after my best interest.

You think this shipment was bad? Just wait, it gets worse!

The next box arrives. It sat for two days before I dared to open it. I was frightened of what I might see in this one. I was floored when I opened it up! It was a box of shoes! Not just shoes, but the clothes she was wearing the day she passed! Gel shoe inserts! Hell, the socks she had been wearing that were still rolled up from being removed from her feet!

Are you disgusted yet? I sure was! This box contained all the clothes she was wearing the day she passed away, including her bra and panties. What kind of sick f**k sends this?

The next box arrives. I didn’t photograph these items. It was all her bras and panties out of her drawer. I had told him to donate her clothing to a women’s shelter, yet he sends me this stuff. Why?

At this point I am thinking this guy is intentionally hurting me. If someone passes, would you send their daughter the clothing they were wearing the day they passed? Dead skin flecks still in the rolled down socks? What was this SOB thinking?

Yet another box arrives. By this time, I am scared to death to open it up. What kind of sadistic treats are in store for me this time? The box just sat for at least a week before I built up enough nerve to open it up.

At least this time, it was stuff that should have been sent. Her purse, a few pieces of jewelry, some photos and albums. I knew this wasn’t all of her jewelry, but he swore it was all he found. Okay, right, like I would believe a word out of his mouth at this point. I tried to take comfort in the fact that at least I had her wedding ring.

He had thrown in a picture of his kids and some bookmarks his children had made. My first thought when I saw them was that they had never been in my Mom’s possessions, that he had planted them there for show.

The photo of his family wasn’t even in a frame. Just a photo thrown in the box. If his family meant that much to her, it would have been in a frame. Mom loved framed pictures sitting around. Mom’s pictures were always framed or in the albums. Never loose. That just wasn’t her!

I’m thinking now that my suspicions are correct and it’s time to trip this guy up. I spent the better part of that day writing a really long email. If he was gonna give himself away, I wanted it in writing. I wrote and revised until I was satisfied that it would thoroughly piss him off. LOL I figured if he was going to make a mistake, it would be when he was angry. It worked and that email is now part of the evidence that I have against him.

I contacted yet another attorney here in Oklahoma. She told me that jurisdiction is the biggest issue and that she couldn’t help me. I asked how to establish jurisdiction. She said that there were two ways to do that.

I could either go to Idaho, or retain my attorney in Idaho.

So off I went on a new mission. I sure as heck wasn’t moving to Idaho, so I had to do lots of homework and find a good lawyer in that state.

I left lots of messages with firms, but only one returned my call. He wanted copies of all my documents. I sent them up via email and it was 5 days before I heard back from him. What he said to me really rocked my world & broke my heart at the same time. I knew that I was in for a war.

He said that I most definitely needed an attorney. Not just a good one, but a great one.  He said that I was dealing with a con and there was no way I could take this guy on alone. He said this guy was out of my league. He told me that while he would be willing to take the case, his mileage would run up the bill to unbelievable proportions and advised that I got a lawyer closer to where the case would be heard. He gave me a name and some contact information. Said the guy was awesome and had lots of experience with this sort of thing. So, I made the call.

I told them who I was referred by and they transferred my call immediately. I was already impressed. lol

I once again sent off all my documents. He agreed that I was in serious need of help and took the case.

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Now keep in mind, my Mom did not have a complicated estate. She had 3 annuities that were not to be transferred to trust. She had an efficiency apartment with very few pieces of furniture and only one bank account left.

This should have all been taken care of other than 10% held for tax purposes in no more than 3 to 4 months.

LB was telling me that it could be a year!

All the while, he promises bank statements that are never sent. He denies me on line access to the account so I can view his activity for myself.  He told me in the email that he didn’t have to justify himself to me or anyone else. He doesn’t have to send out any statements that would all be included in the final accounting and I would just have to wait. What? This dude has got to be off his friggen rocker if he thinks I’m gonna take this crap!

……………And the saga continues!

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