Mankato man accused of stealing veteran’s pension, social security for gaming

A Mankato man is accused of using an ailing veteran’s pension and social security benefits for gaming and other bills.

Investigators say David Carl Maxfield Parish Olson spent nearly $14,000 that belonged to a 79-year-old vulnerable relative with dementia.  Olson was supposed to be paying the man’s nursing home bills, but the facility reported the bill for services had grown to $33,750, according to a criminal complaint.

Olson allegedly shared a checkbook with the victim, who had nearly $29,000 in income from social security benefits and a veteran’s pension.  But detectives say only $15,000 was used to pay the home.

Police accuse the 34-year-old Olson of paying himself an average of $1,200 per month from Nov 2020 through May 2021.  During that time, Olson allegedly wrote checks from the patient’s account for computer and television expenses, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, HBO, and Hulu.  He also used PayPal for transactions from his relative’s account to purchase gaming products such as PlayStation and Nintendo, says the complaint.

Olson allegedly admitted to police he’d used money from the joint account to pay his bills, but said he believed the victim was okay with it.  He admitted he knew his relative had dementia for several years before he entered nursing care in Nov 2020, says the complaint.

Olson has been charged with felony financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult.