Laura Donahue Radford - Allegedly Crooked Relative

The First Amendment Protects my Right to Free Speech about Public Figures.  Laura Donahue and Jessica Rae Radford Lewis, of Hampton, Minnesota, are public figures in regards to their questionable conduct concerning my grandma's estate. Furthermore: 
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In a nutshell, I have a special gift for rattling cages.  It's like it becomes a targeted form of civil disobedience.  How the crooks, those who violate, claim that they are violated when their corruption is confronted.  And they like to try to retaliate.  But that doesn't stop me from confronting corruption and seeing things through to the end.
My cousin Laura Donahue Radford was behaving in a very crooked fashion after my 100-year old grandma passed away. Laura was refusing to provide copies of the will, and prior to that she had run off her siblings and alienated them from our grandma, who was sitting on about 450K.  Isn't that called elder abuse?  So I rattled Laura's cage and that of her aversive daughter's, who she had secretly living at deceased Grandma's house.  (If you don't want your cage rattled, you probably shouldn't be in one.)  Laura retaliated by getting charges filed on me. I pled guilty to rifling through her daughter's finance's truck, the purpose being to find out who was living at Grandma's house.  I've never had a criminal record, don't even get speeding tickets, and I just walked out of court with a fine.  Then I got the Minnesota State Attorney General's Office involved, and they were instrumental in forcing Laura to actually administer the estate -- which took 2 years.  But we forced her to do what she signed on the dotted line to do, even if she obtained about 80% of the estate through what we believe is crooked means, and the rest of us got 1 or 2%.


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My cousin Laura Donahue Radford was the executor of my grandma's estate. It all appears to have happened in a very suspect and even crooked manner:
  1.  As Trustee of my grandmas's estate, Laura was not on speaking terms with seven (7) beneficiaries, including all of her siblings.  There was substantial distrust towards Laura that they had conveyed to me.  Laura allegedly alienated and isolated my grandma from the other family members who could help Grandma, and took control of Grandma's money. 
  2. Laura corralled Grandma into an attorney to get her will redone at age 97, giving Laura as much as 81% of the estate. At this age, Grandma could hardly walk, hear, or see.
  3. Once Grandma gave gifts of $10,000 to each of her grandkids.  One of Laura's sisters, whom Laura disliked immensely, never received hers.  Laura was in charge of Grandma's finances at this point.  Once when I was supposed to receive a $100 gift from Grandma, the $100 was missing.
  4. Laura and her husband Sam routinely abandoned Grandma when they went out of town. Laura had driven off all her siblings, and I lived a few hours away, so there was no one to check on Grandma.  Laura may have had one of her husband's relatives check on Grandma on occasion.  Once I came to visit Grandma on a holiday weekend when Laura was out of town. I knocked and knocked, and there was no response. I had never been given a key.  It turned out that Grandma was  unconscious on the floor inside, having had a stroke, only to be discovered days later when Laura and Sam returned from their trip. 
  5. When Grandma was moved to a nursing home, Laura let her daughter Jessica Rae Radford Lewis secretly stay at Grandma's house. Laura's accounting shows Jessica paid rent at approximately half of market rate.  If she even paid rent is in question, as we have never seen any proof of payments. This appears to be  a violation of Minnesota Trust laws, which require that an estate be managed for the benefit of all beneficiaries.
  6. Laura refused to provide the estate attorney's name, however I managed to get ahold of it.
  7. And I got the Minnesota State Attorney General's Office involved, and their assistance was vital in resolving the estate. Every time I would mail a letter to the estate lawyer, it would go unanswered. Then I would mail a letter to the State Attorney General, and they would contact the lawyer. Then, and only then, would I get an answer.  This went on for two years, about 18 letters in all.
  8. Laura refused requests to provide a copy of the will, and only provided one four months after Grandma had passed away, under pressure from the MN State Attorney General and pro bono attorney (Thanks Paul Lang!).  She never sent one to anyone else.
  9. I made eleven (11) requests in  twelve (12) months for a Trust accounting, generating 8 letters from her lawyer.  The requests I made included raising questions about Laura's unfitness, unwillingness, and persistent failure to administer the Trust, and raising questions about attorney’s fees generated by the Trustee.
  10. Laura retaliated against me for sending her a Demand for Accounting by having charges filed against me (I had gone to deceased Grandma's house and it looked like someone was living there. Who? There was a car in the driveway, and as an act of civil disobedience, I went through it to find out who was living there).  Laura  was trying to sick the legal system on me to get me to back down from holding her accountable.  But that didn't stop me.
  11. Laura changed attorneys without notifying anyone.
  12. Laura refused requests from parents to release custodial funds for minors to the parents, instead wanting to install herself as custodian on their accounts.
  13. The will says that Laura can spend custodial money. So Laura's 71% would become 81% since she has five children/grandchildren. Since she's helped herself to Grandma's money, what's to stop her from helping herself to her children's?   
  14. Laura's suspect accounting was unaudited, undocumented, and unsigned by an accountant.  Most of us believe was falsified.  We saw no documentation to back up her numbers.
  15. Laura's accounting showed the estate to be worth about $460k, although none of us doubt that Laura would hide or siphon off funds.
  16. The accounting showed that Laura claims she spent $17,000 on renovating my grandma's townhome.  The pictures of the listing show that nothing new except 1500 square feet of new carpet and vinyl. That should have cost max $4,000.  This supports the allegation that Laura as the Trustee was not properly managing the Trust’s assets in the best interests of all beneficiaries.
  17. A previous informal accounting had referenced 5 CDs, however this formal one only references two.  What happened to the missing CDs?
  18. Ultimately, Laura was forced to go to court to close the estate, as several beneficiaries did not trust Laura and refused to provide their children's SSNs.
  19. It took Laura 2 years to close an estate that should have taken about 6 months.
You get the picture about what Laura Donahue Radford is like. Some day she will probably lose the money she has, as she apparently obtained it by crooked means.  If that ever happens, contact me, as I would really enjoy a front row seat.
First letter of a long series to the MN Atty General, which was instrumental in getting Laura to be as accountable as we could get her to be.

 

STORY

Once upon a time, my cousin Laura allegedly installed herself as my grandma Doris' controller, apparently poisoning relationships, alienating family members from Grandma, isolating her, and getting Grandma to sign a will at age 97, giving Laura as much as 81% of the estate. At age 97 my grandma could hardly walk, hear, or see. Yet Laura and the attorney she hired felt comfortable satisfying Laura's alleged greed. This is how my grandma signed the new will -- it s evident she was not physically strong and not able to see.

Allegedly Poisoning Relationships
Up to that point, my cousins had told me stories about how one day when they arrived to visit Grandma, she had suddenly demanded back their garage door openers. The sense they got was that Grandma didn't trust them for some reason. Many of us believe Laura lied about them to Grandma to alienate them. Then, you see, the only one with a key to Grandma's townhome was Laura.
One cousin had told me how Grandma had accused her of stealing a particular ashtray.  My cousin of course had not done this, and Grandma couldn't see well at that point. The only logical conclusion is that Laura had allegedly poisoned the well, lying about her sibling in order to obtain full control of Grandma -- and her money.
The Bank Statements Roll In
So only Laura was responsible for Grandma. How did she react when she saw the bank and stock statements come in the mail? Did she aspire to have control of them as well?
Laura and her husband Sam would often go on holiday weekend trips. I would make a point to visit Grandma on these weekends, since no one would be there to check up on her.
One weekend holiday when I showed up, I rang and rang and rang, and no one answered.  I had never been given a key.  It turns out that Grandma was unconscious on the floor, having had a stroke, only to be discovered the next day when Laura returned home.  Seemingly, that's Laura's idea of health care for a vulnerable adult, whose money she is was allegedly salivating over.
The Alleged Debauched Strumpet Jessica Rae Radford Lewis
Needless to say, Grandma was moved into a nursing home for the last year of her life. She had done quite well living on her own for decades, and managed to live in her home  until age 100.  Grandma passed away about a year later, late December 2012, just shy of 101.  Her mother had lived to about that age.
Lo and behold, it turns out that as soon as Grandma was moved out, Laura moved her reprobate daughter Jessica Rae Radford Lewis into Grandma's townhome. Jessica might be Laura's favorite, but she wasn't Grandma's. Grandma would never have given permission for Jessica to live in her home. Grandma had told me a while back she had caught Jessica and her boyfriend having sex downstairs, and had thrown her out. My 90+ year old grandma had no problem throwing her alleged strumpet granddaughter out on her ass.  Unfortunately, as Laura apparently got more greedy, she allegedly worked on Grandma to ultimately control her and her money.
Jessica Radford & Chad Lewis' Baby Registry Feb 2016, Apple Valley, MN

When confronted about Jessica, Laura claimed she was paying rent. But her own Trust accounting shows $0 paid in rent (see accounting section). In fact, it shows that mysteriously $8,590 was paid out for rent -- for what? Was the apparently freeloading daughter Jessica getting paid to live at Grandma's? Laura's accounting shows that there was no decrease of Jessica's estate proceeds, even though the will stipulated that would happen to estate debtors. The townhome was listed a few months after I had discovered that Laura's daughter Jessica was living there. That was quite a melee, but it certainly served a purpose. Jessica's apparent freeloading joyride must have come to an end once I got involved.
 The Will showed that anyone who owned money to the estate shall have their share decreased by that amount. Records show there was no decrease of the share for Jessica Radford for rent owed.

Jessica looks like a walking nutritional deficiency. Below is her criminal record, which shows at 24 she was convicted of supplying alcohol to a minor; at 31 she was convicted of a DUI, and at 32 she was convicted of speeding 82 in a 65.  For her DUI she did 3 days in jail, treatment, home monitoring, and probation for 2 years. When Laura switched lawyers without telling anyone, she changed to the same lawyer Jessica used for her 2011 DUI.  All in the shady family. 
I don't have a traffic record, and the only time I've really had anything to do with the system is in cases like civil disobedience, such as when Laura and her reprobate daughter or other crooks have used it to try to retaliate against me for systembusting them. That shows you the nature of their being.

Laura Allegedly Violates Minnesota Trust Laws
The State of Minnesota's trust laws say a trust is to be managed for the benefit of all beneficiaries. But Laura apparently had no problem serving herself and her kids to the detriment of everyone else. Not too much different from lying about your siblings to run them off from helping Grandma.  In fact, at one point Grandma had given all of her grandkids $10,000.  I got my $10,000 check as did everyone else. But one of Laura's siblings never received hers. Just like one Christmas when my $100 was missing, Laura appears to swipe other people's money without a conscience.  Maybe she pocketed the $10,000.
Laura Allegedly Harasses Sibling Who is Helping Grandma and Drives her Out
My grandma and Aunt Beverly had bought the townhome in 1995, and one Laura's siblings moved in and helped care for them. This was the sibling who was missing her $10,000 check. One day Beverly suddenly passed away.  I heard Laura had never gotten along with her mother, and after her death, Laura allegedly came to the townhome and ransacked the place, trying to find Beverly's jewels. Laura harassed her sibling so much, that the sibling moved out. That left Laura to install herself as the head of Grandma's estate and assets.  Which she faithfully did, driving everyone else off.  Laura is given Grandma's jewels in Grandma's new will.
Don't Lie, Steal, or Cheat on My Watch
I, however, didn't let Laura alienate me from Grandma. I kept visiting.  And when Grandma passed away, I stayed on the case of Grandma's estate to hold Laura accountable. Of my family, I was the only one living in the state, and all of Laura's siblings were so heavily alienated from her, they wanted nothing to do with her.  Also know that all of us peers to Laura were only getting 1% compared to her 81%, so there wasn't much at stake. The point is:  Don't lie, cheat, and steal on my watch, because I'll do something about it.
Working with the Minnesota State Attorney General's Office
I got the Minnesota State Attorney General's Office involved, and working with them over the next 2 years I was able to hold Laura accountable. I would send a letter to the estate attorney, and invariably would receive no response. So I would send a letter to the MN State Attorney General's office, and they would contact they lawyer. Then, and only then, would I receive a response.  In one letter I asked for my cousin to be returned her $10,000, but Laura never did.  They threatened to try to throw me out of the estate in one of these letters, but of course it didn't work. 
With the help of the State Atty General  I was able to force Laura to be accountable, and not take on unnecessary court costs. I was very appreciative of their help and let them know that.  I held my check until I knew everyone had been paid out.
If Laura wanted to be greedy, take advantage of a vulnerable adult, and lie on the accounting, I figured that was her karma. I didn't care about the money, but I fought for everyone to receive their pittance. I could have contested the will, as I heard many testimonies from Laura's siblings regarding undue influence and fraud. But the Universe will take care of that. My purpose was more along the lines of -- If you say you're going to do something, you had better do it, or I will see to it that you do.
Laura Refused to Disburse Funds to Parents of Children
I was in touch with my cousins and siblings about the estate. And all of them said they did not want Laura to hold any funds that were designated for their children, many were vehemently angry about Laura's behavior.  One of my brothers mailed a letter to Laura specifically requesting she release the funds to the parents' custody.  Nobody wanted their children tied up with Laura until they were 21, or to have the children's SSN info in Laura's custody.  However, Laura refused to disburse the funds to the parents custody, she wanted to have her name as custodian on the accounts.
According to the will, a custodian could basically spend the minor child's money as they wanted.  So all of us would suspect Laura's children would likely never see any of their money, as well as those over 21.
One letter I mailed to the lawyer clearly conveyed everyone's distrust of Laura.  One sibling had called her conscienceless.  In response, the lawyer sent out a letter that said nobody trusted Laura so they were going to have the bank send out letters directly to setup accounts and bypass Laura.  Only one parent was willing to set up an account directly with the bank, but the rest were not.  That meant that Laura was forced to go to court to close the estate, and the funds were placed on deposit with the county where they could be claimed.  If someone hadn't been forcing Laura's hand, I'm sure those funds and most funds would have never been paid out.
Laura's Resistance to Parting with 19%
As if 81% wasn't enough for her, Laura appeared to want all 100%.  Grandma had set up a trust, and trusts can be closed in a matter of months. Not in Laura's case. It took over 2 years for her to close the estate.  It took her a year to simply provide an accounting, a suspect accounting which was undocumented, unaudited, and unsigned by an accountant. Once a response letter from her attorney claimed that the accounting was delayed because the accountant had "communicated that she has had a family crisis."  I believe the only crisis going on was an ethical accountant refusing to sign off on her numbers. None of use believed her numbers were accurate.  But that was her karma.  No doubt, she will someday be the recipient of her own gifts.

LAURA'S SUSPECT TRUST ACCOUNTING -- UNDOCUMENTED, UNVERIFIED, UNAUDITED, UNSIGNED BY AN ACCOUNTANT

Right on the heels of my demanding a Trust accounting, Laura retaliated by getting the county attorney to file charges on me for going through the mysterious car parked in deceased Grandma's driveway. Laura and Jessica both played the victim card to the cops and prosecution -- while they were both the perpetrators of allegedly violating Grandma's Trust. Laura was desperate to get me arrested so I would stop holding her accountable. But I just paid a fine and walked out of court. And I pressed on even harder.



DISTRIBUTION SCHEDULE -- SHOWS FOUR CHILDREN'S FUNDS PLACED WITH THE COUNTY


 This was done because their parents didn't trust Laura and didn't want to provide her their children's SSNs.

LAURA FORCED TO GO TO COURT TO CLOSE ESTATE BECAUSE HER SIBLINGS DID NOT TRUST HER


 Here is the letter from the first attorney saying we have to provide SSNs or Laura will be forced to go to court.

Here is the court Register of Actions showing Laura was forced to go to court.


GRANDMA'S TOWNHOME -- NO EVIDENCE OF RENOVATION


 The listing pictures show Grandma's townhome the same as it was, no renovation of the bathrooms or kitchen, just new carpeting and vinyl.  Laura billed $17,000 for 1500 square feet of new flooring. The cost should have less than $3K.  Sounds like a gyp to me.



LAURA AND SAM RADFORD'S HOUSE


 Laura and Sam Radford's home is listed in the Dakota County records online site. It is a rehabbed farmhouse on 9.87 acres. The county assesses it at $351,800. My real estate system estimates it between $292,678 - $448,278, depending on condition.  It appears to be paid for.
When I was at Laura and Sam's house several years ago, Sam had rehabbed quite a bit of it from when they had bought it in the 1970s. But it has an awkward layout and is a bit like a cave.  The interior will come off as dated at this point.  Sam has a large display of perhaps a few dozen guns on a wall. 
I witnessed Laura at that time be very snide to her husband, quite passive aggressive. However, for some reason, he sticks around.  I was told by one source that Laura's kids (the ones who don't behave like reptiles) are afraid of her. If they so much as talk to their aunts and uncles, they will be excommunicated from the Laura cult.
Someday, what goes around will come around.

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