Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A White Lake woman has been sentenced for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from her grandmother.

35-year-old Cortney Tucker was sentenced to one year in jail and three years of probation. She was also ordered to pay $639,528 in restitution for embezzlement.

Tucker pleaded no contest as charged in December.

The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office said Tucker has already returned $150,000 in restitution payments.

Between October 2023 and February 2025, Tucker embezzled more than $600,000 from her 85-year-old grandmother. Tucker had power of attorney authorizing her to access her grandmother’s accounts and used Zelle to transfer funds to her own account.

Prosecutor Karen McDonald said “This victim was wronged by a person she should have been able to trust. Sadly, financial exploitation of seniors by family members affects too many people. Seniors should speak up if they feel something is wrong. Ask another relative or trusted friend for help, or call the police.”


Tips to avoid elder family financial exploitation:

1. Never allow just one relative to have unchecked access to your finances.

2. Grant “view-only” access to accounts so a trusted relative can help monitor finances without having access to funds.

3. Keep accounts in your name and avoid joint accounts.

4. Formalize expectations in writing to avoid misunderstandings.

5. Utilize an independent professional, such as a financial advisor or elder law attorney, to help manage finances.