Bath Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Over $225,000 From an Elderly Disabled Veteran

Bath Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Over $225,000 From an Elderly Disabled Veteran

CONCORD - A Bath man pleaded guilty today to draining disability benefits for years from the bank account of an elderly disabled veteran living in a nursing home, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.

Donald Estes, 49, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. U.S. District Judge Paul J. Barbadoro scheduled sentencing for May 11, 2026.

The victim was an elderly disabled veteran who was living in a nursing home until the time he passed away. The victim was unable to manage his own money or make decisions. Each month, the Department of Veterans Affairs deposited disability benefits into the victim's bank account. Initially, the victim's mother served as the victim's legal guardian until she passed away. After her passing, the victim's nursing home reached out to Estes asking whether he would serve as the victim's legal guardian. Estes never applied to serve as the victim's legal guardian. Instead, Estes had the victim sign an agreement adding Estes to the victim's bank account. Between August 2020 and December 2023, Estes proceeded to steal $225,200 from the bank account. Estes misspent the stolen funds on personal purchases or deposited the funds into other bank accounts he controlled.

The charging statute for bank fraud provides a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

The Department of Veterans Affairs' Office of the Inspector General and U.S. Postal Inspection Service led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen is prosecuting the case.