Draining an adopted child's trust fund
Lori Wiley-Drones and Edward Drones, of Anchorage, Alaska, adopted a child who had a trust fund of more than $830,000. The child, who was abused by previous foster parents, was granted the trust as the result of a lawsuit claiming the state of Alaska failed to protect him.
The Drones were required to keep the trust completely separate from their own accounts, but they couldn't resist dipping into the money. They allegedly used it to remodel their home, pay credit card bills, buy cars and even splurge on Coach purses and jewelry -- leaving only $15.05 in the child's trust fund.
They also neglected to report the the funds as income on their tax returns, according to the IRS. But they were finally caught, and in March the couple was sentenced to nearly four years in prison and required to pay restitution of $829,417.
