A White Lake Township woman was sentenced Wednesday to a year in prison after authorities said she embezzled more than $600,000 from her 85-year-old grandmother.
Cortney Tucker, 35, was ordered to pay $639,528 in restitution and spend three years on probation, said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald in a press release. Tucker has already repaid $150,000.
McDonald said Tucker had power of attorney that allowed her to access her grandmother’s financial accounts. From October 2023 to February 2025, she used the Zelle money management app to transfer hundreds of thousands of dollars from her grandmother’s account to her own.
“This victim was wronged by a person she should have been able to trust,” McDonald said in a statement. “Sadly, financial exploitation of seniors by family members affects too many people. Seniors should speak up if they feel something is wrong. Ask another relative or trusted friend for help, or call the police.”
Tucker took the money due to a crippling gambling addiction, her attorney said.
“Today’s sentencing brings an end to a sad and painful chapter in Ms Tucker’s life,” attorney Neil Rockind said in an email. “Deeply committed to her family and children, she found herself in the throes of a gambling addiction that overwhelmed her. With treatment, counseling and support, she overcame the addiction and attempted to put the pieces of her life and family back together. She is ready to tackle what lays ahead of her.”
In October 2025, Tucker was bound over to Oakland County Circuit Court on a charge of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult which, in Michigan, is punishable by up to 20 years in prison when the amount embezzled is more than $100,000.
Tucker was released on her own recognizance and in December 2025, she pleaded no contest, records show.
In addition to incarceration and restitution, she was ordered to complete treatment for mental health and substance abuse, as well as a gambling addiction.
Tucker was also barred from using or possessing any firearms or other deadly weapons and may not have any contact with her grandmother, online court records indicate.
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan woman gets prison for embezzling $600K from grandmother
Reporting by Max Reinhart, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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