LANSING – Darius Nance, 33, of Redford, was arraigned before Magistrate Judge Andra Richardson in the 48th District Court in Bloomfield Hills on one count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult – $1,000 or more but less than $20,000. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the indictment yesterday. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to five years in prison and/or a fine of $10,000 or three times the value of the money or property involved, whichever is greater.

An investigation by the Attorney General’s Office revealed that Nance’s grandfather was admitted to the SKLD Bloomfield Hills nursing home in October 2022. Nance was appointed guardian of his grandfather by the Oakland County Superior Court on February 22, 2023. It is alleged that Nance failed to make payments to the facility for his grandfather’s care after assuming guardianship and that he wrote numerous checks from his grandfather’s account for his own personal business transactions rather than for his grandfather’s needs.

“Court-appointed guardians are charged with the vital responsibility of protecting our most vulnerable citizens,” Nessel said. “My office will continue to hold accountable those who use guardianships to unjustly enrich themselves.”

Nance is scheduled to appear in the 48th District Court on Sept. 3 for a probability conference. The preliminary examination is scheduled for Sept. 9.

The Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud Division (HCFD) handled this case for the Department. The HCFD is Michigan’s federally certified Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and receives 75% of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $5,541,992 for fiscal year 2024. The remaining 25%, totaling $1,847,326, is funded by the State of Michigan.

Please note: For all criminal proceedings, a criminal charge is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The department does not provide booking photos.

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