A southwest Iowa caregiver is accused of ripping off an elderly eastern Nebraska woman who was under her care. Authorities say 47-year-old Lori Knotek of Council Bluffs allegedly had 87-year-old Dorothy Smith of Omaha buy a home in Council Bluffs for 260-thousand-dollars, and then sell it to her two years later for one-dollar.
Knotek is also accused of paying her credit card bills out of a joint account she and Smith held for Smith’s care expenses. Knotek was hired as a caregiver for Smith after Smith suffered a stroke in 2001 that left her with dementia and impairment.
Authorities started investigating after one of Smith’s cousins became suspicious of Knotek and filed a report with police.