Cape Coral attorney’s assistant who spent elderly client’s money sentenced to 16 months

A Cape Coral woman will spend 16 months in prison for misusing the credit card of a person who trusted her to handle her expenses.

Kristin Nicole Jordan, 40, was convicted Tuesday of the exploitation of an elderly person. Restitution was made to the family of victim Michel Doherty, who passed away at 96 years old in April.

The case dates back to 2019 when Lee County Sheriff’s Office investigators learned the Doherty’s credit card had been used for $42,276 in fraudulent charges.

The eight-month investigation led to Jordan, who used the card to make purchases dating back to 2017. She was employed as an assistant to a trust attorney at Musial Law Firm, which handles health care and long-term planning for the elderly, according to its website.

Records show Jordan purchased numerous different things that included paying off Comcast bills, buying groceries, shopping at Amazon, Victoria’s Secret, Nike and several other retail stores.

Investigators said Doherty found out Jordan was using her money to pay for all of the above, including dinners, car payments, trips, cell phone bills and school payments. Doherty reported she believed numerous transactions from her bank account were fraudulent.

Michel Doherty was known for her years of service to Southwest Florida. In 2012, the Pace Center for Girls, who she was a donor to and grand dame, honored her. Doherty’s friends all say she was giving and wanted to uplift the community.

Doherty is remembered as a philanthropist, mentor and loving friend. Those we spoke to explained the fact that someone took advantage of her in the nature they did was heartbreaking.

“She was there for everyone,” friend Jeanne Sweeny said. “Her door was always open.”

Sweeney and many other members of the community mourn the loss of Doherty.

“She gave and gave and gave, and people loved her,” Sweeney said.

But the last couple of years of her life came with heartbreak.

“She hired a firm that told her they were going to take care of her, and she presumed they were, and there were things that were going on that just didn’t make sense to Michel or myself,” Sweeney explained.

In 2019, Sweeney says Doherty began getting calls that she owed money. She started noticing charges on her credit card statements.

Sweeney says Doherty went to her firm about it, but they ignored her, so the two filed a police report. After an investigation those charges ultimately led to Jordan, and she was arrested.

“It was very disheartening because Michel had trusted these people, and she got hurt really bad financially,” Sweeney said. “It broke her heart because, when you trust somebody and you get hurt like that, it’s a terrible thing.”

Doherty never got to see justice.

“Kristin Jordan did not get away with it, but her sentence is not that long for what she did at the end of Michel’s life,” Sweeney said. “It’s very, very sad.”

Sweeney says she was happy she was there to hold Michel’s hand during this investigation, but she knows some seniors don’t have that. She hopes families will take a look at their elderly loved one’s statements, so something like this isn’t happening to them too.

WINK News spoke with Jordan shortly after her arrest and she denied the charge, saying it wasn’t true.

The law firm told investigators it fired Jordan in May 2019.

If you or someone you know has fallen victim to elderly fraud, the state has an entire senior protection team. It is a group of attorneys who specialize in civil, criminal and healthcare fraud. You can reach them at (866) 966-7226.