Rochester woman ordered to pay $11K in financial exploitation case

(ABC 6 News) – A Rochester woman was ordered to pay more than double the estimated amount she took from a vulnerable adult’s bank account in restitution Monday, Jan. 29.

Jamie Lynn Lambert, 47, pleaded guilty to financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult in November of 2023.

On Monday, she was sentenced to 5 years of supervised probation and ordered to pay $11,491.83 in restitution.

Lambert was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community service, and may not serve as power of attorney for any vulnerable adult.

According to court documents, Lambert received a stay of adjudication — meaning that if she completes her probation and other conditions without incident, the felony will not go on her criminal record.

According to court documents, the Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center spoke with a social worker in February in 2023, who provided bank statements for a woman who had suffered a stroke and been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

The woman lived in a Rochester facility.

According to court documents, Lambert was the woman’s power of attorney. Bank documents indicated that Lambert was transferring money from the senior’s account into her own checking account, then using the money to purchase food, alcohol, clothing, and sporting equipment.

According to court documents, Lambert first claimed the funds were being used for the senior’s benefit, but after viewing purchases for sports photography, sporting goods, and hotels with law enforcement, said she had “no excuse” for spending the funds herself.

According to the MAARC, the senior’s monthly liability had not been paid in months, and Lambert had not responded to facilities’ requests that she provide new shoes and clothing for the senior.

Bank statements indicated that Lambert used “at least $5,000” of the woman’s money for her own benefit.