Medical examiner rules suicide in death of guardian accused of stealing from clients
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Jeffrey Schend, 44, appears June 20, 2011, in Outagamie County Court for a preliminary hearing on six felony counts of theft and one misdemeanor theft count. Schend is a former guardian who is accused of stealing from elderly and disabled clients. / The Post-Crescent
APPLETON — A former Appleton guardian accused of stealing about $500,000 from his elderly and disabled clients committed suicide Wednesday morning, according to Calumet County authorities.
Medical Examiner Mike Klaeser declared Jeffrey Schend, 46, dead from hanging at the home, 501 Mitchell Ave., which is listed as Schend’s address on court records. Appleton police Sgt. Dave Lund said officers were called to Schend’s home about 4:30 a.m.
Schend was charged in Outagamie County with 15 felony theft counts and 12 misdemeanor counts of falsifying accounting records. His was scheduled to appear in court for a status conference at 11 a.m. Nov. 12.
SPECIAL REPORT: THE JEFFREY M. SCHEND CASE
Guardians are appointed by courts to oversee assets when it is determined that individuals are unable to manage their finances. The investigation of Schend began after Outagamie County officials received complaints in late 2010 that bills weren’t being paid.
Following a series of exclusive Post-Crescent Media reports, prosecutors hired a forensic accountant to comb through Schend’s finances. The accountant found his expenses significantly exceeded his income with spending that included vacations, yacht club costs and limousine rentals, according to the criminal complaint.
Schend’s former business, JMS Guardianship Services, could have collected $51,000 in fees from his clients in 2010, and his personal spending alone reached nearly $165,000 that year, records show. In addition to personal expenses in 2010, the accountant determined that Schend spent $84,000 on business-related expenses, or more than $33,000 in excess of his total possible business income.
An investigator with the Social Security Administration determined Schend misused more than $114,000 by the time he was removed from working for clients who received those funds.
— Holly Meyer: 920-993-1000, ext. 426, or hmeyer@postcrescent.com; on Twitter @HollyAMeyer.
Medical Examiner Mike Klaeser declared Jeffrey Schend, 46, dead from hanging at the home, 501 Mitchell Ave., which is listed as Schend’s address on court records. Appleton police Sgt. Dave Lund said officers were called to Schend’s home about 4:30 a.m.
Schend was charged in Outagamie County with 15 felony theft counts and 12 misdemeanor counts of falsifying accounting records. His was scheduled to appear in court for a status conference at 11 a.m. Nov. 12.
SPECIAL REPORT: THE JEFFREY M. SCHEND CASE
Guardians are appointed by courts to oversee assets when it is determined that individuals are unable to manage their finances. The investigation of Schend began after Outagamie County officials received complaints in late 2010 that bills weren’t being paid.
Following a series of exclusive Post-Crescent Media reports, prosecutors hired a forensic accountant to comb through Schend’s finances. The accountant found his expenses significantly exceeded his income with spending that included vacations, yacht club costs and limousine rentals, according to the criminal complaint.
Schend’s former business, JMS Guardianship Services, could have collected $51,000 in fees from his clients in 2010, and his personal spending alone reached nearly $165,000 that year, records show. In addition to personal expenses in 2010, the accountant determined that Schend spent $84,000 on business-related expenses, or more than $33,000 in excess of his total possible business income.
An investigator with the Social Security Administration determined Schend misused more than $114,000 by the time he was removed from working for clients who received those funds.
— Holly Meyer: 920-993-1000, ext. 426, or hmeyer@postcrescent.com; on Twitter @HollyAMeyer.
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