Cordova woman found guilty of fraud, exploitation of vulnerable adult

CORDOVA — A Cordova woman has been found guilty of federal fraud charges in a case where prosecutors say she and her late father stole more than $100,000 from an elderly family member.

Linda Laird, 62, was found guilty Thursday, Aug. 20 of conspiracy to commit Social Security fraud and theft of public money; conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud; financial exploitation of a elderly vulnerable adult; and first-degree fraud against a senior citizen.

A federal jury returned the verdict after a three-day trial in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Prosecutors estimate Laird and her father, James Blizzard, stole more than $121,000 over the course of three years.

Blizzard was listed as another defendant in the case when it was filed in April 2024. Charges against Blizzard were dropped in March, about a month after he died.

A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia states Laird was found guilty by a federal jury “in connection with a scheme to abuse her position as the co-guardian and co-conservator of an 81-year-old vulnerable adult.”

The indictment states that in November 2017, Laird and Blizzard appeared in court looking to become co-guardians of the victim, identified as Laird’s step-grandmother and Blizzard’s stepmother-in-law.

The victim suffered from severe cognitive impairments, meaning she resided in a nursing home, court documents state. Laird and Blizzard, as co-guardians, were legally supposed to apply her money toward her support, care and treatment.

On April 13, 2018, Blizzard requested that the victim’s Social Security payments be placed in his personal account as opposed to the victim’s. Between May 9, 2018 and September 11, 2019, approximately $21,175 in Social Security benefits would be deposited into Blizzard’s account.

Between April 13 and May 29, 2018, Laird transferred approximately $85,185 from the victim’s bank account to her own, over the course of approximately 45 separate electronic transactions, prosecutors said.

According to the press release, Laird spent these funds on “jewelry, designer shoes, and expensive football tickets.”

On May 22, 2018, Laird and Blizzard appeared again in court to enhance their status to co-conservators, claiming they would use the victim’s money for her care, along with buying her clothing and personal items. The Superior Court granted their petition.

The indictment states that Laird and Blizzard “falsely represented that they were bringing (the victim) to a facility in Easton, Maryland, so (the victim) could be closer to them.”

By August 2018, the nursing home in Washington, D.C. that housed the victim attempted to make contact with Blizzard to discuss the lack of payment for the victim’s care. Per the indictment, he did not answer when they called. Laird also failed to appear in person to resolve the balance, despite telling an attorney for the facility that she would.

Three collections notices were sent from the nursing home to Laird and Blizzard’s filed address between September 2018 and April 2019, claiming an unpaid balance of more than $175,000.

In April 2020, Blizzard was terminated from the victim’s Social Security payments via a letter, which also requested the return of any funds saved on the victim’s behalf. According to the indictment, he never returned any of the money.

The indictment states Laird and Blizzard “never used the money in (the victim’s) bank account or the money from her Social Security benefit payments for the benefit of (the victim).”

Laird is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 17, 2026.