A 29-year-old Sanilac County woman was sentenced yesterday, May 22, for felony embezzlement from a vulnerable adult of $1,000 or more but less than $20,000.
Brooke Lynn Arntz appeared before Sanilac County Circuit Court Judge Timothy Wrathell for her Wednesday sentencing, receiving 135 days in jail and two years of probation. Arntz had been originally charged with five felony counts, including three counts of stealing and retaining a financial transaction device, and one count of lying to a peace officer, but due to an April plea, was only prosecuted on the embezzlement charge.
In addition to her time in jail, Arntz has been ordered to pay full restitution to her victim, an 88-year-old man.
The investigation into the embezzlement began in December 2023, when the man’s children discovered suspicious activity on his bank accounts. Obtaining necessary records, the man’s children provided them to the Sanilac County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation, with Detective Robert Wendling and Deputy Matthew Washe able to piece together the evidence to prosecute Arntz. Arntz had used a debit card belonging to the man to buy items for herself.
With most cases of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult going on for years, Sanilac County Prosecutor Brenda Sanford praised the family for being able to stop the crime “in a matter of months.”
