Winona County woman given probation for stealing over $55,000 from her mother

May 17—WINONA — A Wisconsin woman will get five years of probation for stealing over $55,000 from her mother, a vulnerable adult, and using the money for her own means.

Monica Jean Zanon, 69, of Holmen, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty to felony financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult as part of an April plea deal that dismissed two felony charges of theft.

She entered an Alford plea, meaning that while she does not admit guilt, she admits that a jury would convict her based on the evidence.

Zanon transferred $55,858.42 from her mother's bank account without her mother's knowledge. The criminal complaint states that Zanon deposited $5,858.42 into a bank account under her name and then used $50,000 to make a principal payment on her mortgage.

She appeared Wednesday, May 17, 2023, before District Judge Nancy Buytendorp in Winona County District via zoom where she was sentenced to five years of supervised probation and given a stay of adjudication, meaning that if Zanon successfully completes probation, her charge will be dismissed.

The incident has changed the victim's life, according to a victim impact statement from Zanon's brother, Anthony Pautzke.

"It has been a year since this occurred," the brother wrote in his statement. "Day after day I watched mom suffer the realization of what happened. My mom feels so sad and says over and over again, quote, "How could she do that to her mother?'"

Zanon expressed shock while listening to her brother's words.

Her lawyer, Christopher William Dyer, of Onalaska, Wisconsin, said in court that jail is not warranted in this case due to complicated family dynamics, Zanon's lack of criminal history, and the fact that she's already paid the restitution in full.

Buytendorp did sentence Zanon to two days of jail but credited her with time served. Zanon was also ordered to undergo a chemical assessment and psychological evaluation.

"What is undisputed is that Monica was taking care of mom two to three days a week, staying with her and making sure that was well, that mom trusted Monica and that mom felt that the other siblings were financially secure and that was her reasoning for wanting Monica to have this money," Dyer said in court.

Buytendorp ordered that Zanon have no contact with her mom without the approval of her probation agent after Assistant Winona County Attorney Rebecca Church said the family had requested a no-contact order between the pair.

About 1 in 10 people over 60 will face some type of exploitation, according to Executive Director Amanda Vickstrom of Minnesota Elder Justice Center in St. Paul, who said that risk jumps to 1 in 5 when the victim has some type of impairment.

"There's also real harm attached because what other care is not being provided because these resources aren't there," Vickstrom said.

According to the criminal complaint:

The victim asked Zanon to take her to the bank on Sept. 3, 2021, after learning she had earned interest income on her account and wanted to take the cash out.

Zanon brought her mother to a bank in Winona and had herself added to all of her mother's accounts before having the bank issue a cashier's check for $55,858.42. She told bank employees that she was setting up a joint bank account with her mother at another bank.

On Sept. 7, 2021, Zanon deposited $5,858.42 in a new account with only her name on it. She used the remaining $50,000 to pay down her mortgage.

The mother told law enforcement that Zanon and the bank employee seemed to know each other so she tuned out, eventually signing the paperwork they gave her.

"She pulled a good one," she told law enforcement when they told her what Zanon had done.

The victim's doctor told law enforcement that the woman has cognitive defects and was "suffering from dense dementia." The doctor believes that "she is unable to render decisions involving her health care as well as involving her finances competently."

Zanon told law enforcement she had nothing to do with her mother's bank account and did not know what they were talking about when asked about the money.

The mother's son, who has power of attorney for his mother, later learned that his mother had to pay an additional $978 for prematurely removing funds from the account.