A private, for-profit guardian who Contact 13 exposed as an exploiter is now a wanted woman with a judge issuing a warrant for her arrest.
April Parks was appointed by the court to protect hundreds of our most vulnerable seniors with control over their lives, their homes and their money. Now the same court that granted her absolute power has issued a bench warrant for her arrest.
We interviewed Parks last year and challenged her with her own records after several families complained, saying she took advantage of their loved ones. She admitted to accounting errors, double-billing and overcharging elderly clients.
What we uncovered led to search warrants and a still ongoing law enforcement investigation. But in the midst of all that, court records show Parks moved to Pennsylvania, filed for bankruptcy and left many of her cases in limbo.
She was ordered to appear in court on June 21 to show why she should not be held in contempt for failing to follow state law in guardianship cases. But she failed to show up for that hearing and several others this summer.
Family Court Judge Cynthia Dianne Steel issued the warrant last week. It was filed Tuesday and bail is set at $5,000.
We tried to reach Parks many times after our interview with her last year, but she never returned our calls and the phone number to her business is disconnected. We spoke to her lawyer in Pennsylvania Tuesday requesting a comment and are still waiting to hear back.
