Minnesota man must repay money he stole from his blind, elderly mother

From the Pioneer Press in Minnesota:

A St. Paul man who bilked his blind, elderly mother out of tens of thousands of dollars while her health insurance and phone were cut off for nonpayment was sentenced Wednesday to probation — with the requirement that he repay a chunk of the money.

Ramsey County District Judge Margaret Marrinan set restitution at $45,000 for Scott Douglas Clark, 53, and ordered him to get a job within 30 days so that he can begin to repay the money. She said she agreed with great reluctance to the plea deal reached between the prosecutor and defense.

Having read the pre-sentence investigation report, and a 15-page letter Clark sent the judge, Marrinan said, "All I'm left with, Mr. Clark, is the impression of a person who is selfish, self-absorbed, believes he is a martyr, resents his brother and sister-in-law and blames everyone else for what he did."

She also commented on his drug use, saying, "If I find out you're using crystal meth again, it's curtains." She said she would impose a felony sentence and Clark would serve the time.

In addition to restitution, Marrinan also ordered Clark to pay a $20,000 fine, the maximum allowed.

Clark stole at least $55,000 from his mother, prosecutors said. His family believes it was hundreds of thousands of dollars.

His brother, Todd Clark, said through the family's attorney that he and their mother were pleased with the plea deal because it allows them to move on.

One result of the theft, Todd Clark said, was that the state of Minnesota considered their mother, Lorraine Clark, to have spent the money. That left her ineligible for state aid toward her assisted living.