Court-Appointed Guardian and Manager Charged With Stealing From Incapacitated Wards in Michigan

Published Oct. 15, 2026. Case status is current as of that date.

When a probate court decides an adult can no longer manage their own affairs, it hands that job to a guardian or conservator. That person can pay the ward's bills, sell the ward's home and settle the ward's legal claims. The ward often cannot check the books.

Federal prosecutors in Detroit say two people abused that trust. Kijuana Evans, 54, of Clinton Township, and Lonnie Griffin, 57, of Harper Woods, were charged in an indictment with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and money laundering, U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. announced on Oct. 1, 2026 [1].

The Macomb Daily reported that the 13-count indictment, unsealed Oct. 1, accuses them of stealing about $836,000 from wards between March 2024 and April 2025 [2]. The Justice Department's announcement describes the losses as "hundreds of thousands of dollars" and does not give a total [1].

Important: Evans and Griffin have been charged, not convicted. In the government's words, "An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty" [1]. The Macomb Daily reported that court records did not list an attorney for Evans and that Griffin's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment [2].

How the alleged scheme worked

According to the indictment, as described by prosecutors [1]:

1. A court appointment. Evans owned TriState Guardian Services, an agency the Oakland County Probate Court appointed as a fiduciary for incapacitated wards. Guardians and conservators are "obligated to act in the best interests of their wards."
2. A related business. Griffin operated Key to Life, a non-emergency transportation service, and was employed as a manager of TriState.
3. Systematic embezzlement. The two allegedly conspired "to systematically embezzle funds from wards, and to obtain and retain money for themselves that rightly belonged to the wards and the wards' estates."

The indictment gives examples. Prosecutors allege that:

• Evans used $87,000 of a ward's funds to buy a transit van used by Griffin's transportation company.
• Evans and Griffin took $180,000 from the sale of a ward's home.
• They took the proceeds of a ward's lawsuit settlement and deposited the money into their own bank account.

The Macomb Daily added that prosecutors claim Evans wrote and obtained unauthorized checks from wards' bank accounts, and that the pair deposited them into accounts they controlled, withdrew the money and spent it on themselves [2].

The people charged

Kijuana Evans, 54, of Clinton Township, Mich. [1]

• Role alleged: owner of TriState Guardian Services. The Macomb Daily described it as an agency in Fraser [2].
• Charges: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.
• Status: charged by indictment. She made an initial appearance Oct. 1 and was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond, according to the Macomb Daily [2]. Presumed innocent.

Lonnie Griffin, 57, of Harper Woods, Mich. [1]

• Role alleged: operator of Key to Life and a manager at TriState.
• Charges: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.
• Status: charged by indictment. He also made an initial appearance Oct. 1 and was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond, the Macomb Daily reported. Presumed innocent.

The Macomb Daily reported the two were scheduled to return to court for arraignment the following Monday [2]. We could not confirm the result of that hearing or any plea entered (status pending). Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Moran is prosecuting, and the FBI investigated [1].

The newspaper also reported that Evans previously worked at another guardianship firm, Guardian & Associates, and took over its cases after that firm was suspended by Oakland County Probate Court and other courts in early 2024 [2].

The FBI is looking for wards and families

The FBI's Detroit Division has posted a form seeking information about "current and former wards of Guardian & Associates and Tri-State Guardian Services in Southeast Michigan," which it describes as court-appointed representatives of "elderly and developmentally disabled persons." Family members or others can submit on a ward's behalf, including for a ward who has died. The FBI says "All identities of victims will be kept confidential" [3].

Red flags in a guardianship or conservatorship

Families are often the only check on a professional guardian. Warning signs include:

• Bills going unpaid (rent, nursing home, utilities) even though the ward has income or savings.
• Missing or late accountings. Conservators generally must file regular reports with the probate court. Ask the court clerk whether they were filed.
• Large purchases that don't benefit the ward, such as vehicles or equipment used by another business.
• Home sales or legal settlements where the family never learns where the money went.
• Checks written to the guardian, staff or related companies.
• Resistance to questions or refusal to share statements with close relatives.

What to do if you suspect a guardian is stealing

1. Contact the probate court that made the appointment. You can ask to review the file and the filed accountings, and you can ask the court to require an accounting or remove the guardian.
2. Report suspected federal crimes to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov. If your relative was a ward of the two agencies above, use the FBI's form [3].
3. Call Adult Protective Services in your state about suspected financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult.
4. Call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311 if the ward is 60 or older [4].
5. If you are the guardian, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau publishes free guides for court-appointed guardians and other fiduciaries on keeping a ward's money separate and protected [5].

Case status (as of Oct. 15, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 15, 2026	Source
Kijuana Evans, 54, Clinton Township, Mich.	U.S. District Court, E.D. Mich.	Indicted on conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and money laundering; released on $10,000 unsecured bond after Oct. 1 initial appearance; arraignment outcome status pending	[1], [2]
Lonnie Griffin, 57, Harper Woods, Mich.	U.S. District Court, E.D. Mich.	Indicted on the same charges; released on $10,000 unsecured bond after Oct. 1 initial appearance; arraignment outcome status pending	[1], [2]

Statuses can change. Charges are allegations, not findings of guilt.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan, "Two Charged in Fraud Scheme to Steal Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars from Vulnerable Wards," Oct. 1, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/pr/two-charged-fraud-scheme-steal-hundreds-thousands-dollars-vulnerable-wards
2. Mitch Hotts, "Macomb County guardian, businessman indicted in theft case," Macomb Daily, Oct. 2, 2026 (updated Oct. 5, 2026). https://www.macombdaily.com/2026/10/02/macomb-county-guardian-businessman-indicted-in-theft-case/
3. FBI, "Seeking Information Concerning Wards of Guardian & Associates and Tri-State Guardian Services," accessed Oct. 15, 2026. https://forms.fbi.gov/victims/DEwards
4. U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, "National Elder Fraud Hotline," accessed Oct. 15, 2026. https://ovc.ojp.gov/program/stop-elder-fraud/providing-help-restoring-hope
5. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, "Guides for managing someone else's money," accessed Oct. 15, 2026. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/managing-someone-elses-money/

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