A Redwood Falls man accused of spending more than $45,000 of someone else's money has been sentenced to probation and ordered to pay restitution.
Scott Russell Beasley, 52, was charged in July with one count of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult, a felony. He entered an Alford plea of guilty in February in Olmsted County District Court.
With an Alford plea, the defendant maintains his innocence but acknowledges the evidence would be sufficient to convict him.
Judge Pamela King placed Beasley on supervised probation for five years, ordered him to repay the victim $45,197.12 and to complete 50 hours of community work service.
Beasley also was given a stay of adjudication, which means if the period of probation is successfully completed, the offense isn't entered on the defendant's criminal record, and the charges are dismissed. Arrest records, however, still indicate an arrest.
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Beasley and the victim, who lives in a mental health facility in Olmsted County, were the only people with access to the victim's trust account, court documents say.
On July 23, 2012, a wire transfer of $36,860.24 was made to the bank account of a law firm in Redwood Falls. According to the criminal complaint, the transfer was conducted by Beasley, who the next day bought a house in Redwood Falls for $39,900.
Financial documents obtained by an investigator showed a number of smaller transfers from the trust fund to another bank, again conducted by Beasley.
The total amount of funds allegedly used by Beasley, including penalty costs for early withdrawal, totaled $45,197.12.
The missing funds were reported by the victim's residential facility in April 2015.
