Jury convicts Montcalm County woman for stealing from elderly woman under her care

A Montcalm County woman charged with embezzling thousands from a 90-year-old woman was convicted following a jury trial, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced last Thursday.

Teri Marie Miller, 58, of Edmore, was charged in 2020 with:

  • One count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult, between $50,000 and $100,000.  
  • One count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult, $1,000 or more but less than $20,000.  
  • One count of using a computer to commit a crime; three counts of using a financial transaction device without consent.
  • One count of tax – failure to file.  

A jury found Miller guilty on all counts last Thursday afternoon after spending less than a day deliberating. The court revoked her bond and she was taken into custody.   

“Protecting Michigan’s most vulnerable adults has been a top priority for me,” Nessel said. “This guilty verdict is a win in the fight against elder abuse in our state, and I appreciate the work done by our partners in Montcalm County that helped build this case.”

Miller was also charged with one count of resisting or obstructing a police officer, which stemmed from her arrest on the embezzlement charges. That charge is still pending in a separate case.

Miller’s husband, Kelly Miller, as well as her brother, Tim Riva, were also charged in connection to the embezzlement.

Both men pleaded no contest last month.

Riva pleaded no contest to:  

  • One count of receiving stolen property, $200 or more but less than $1,000.
  • One count of embezzlement from a vulnerable adult, $200 or more but less than $1,000.   

As a term of the plea agreement, he will pay $2,000 in restitution at or before sentencing.

Kelly Miller pleaded no contest to:

  • Two counts of receiving or concealing stolen property, $200 or more but less than $1,000.

He also agreed to a $2,700 restitution order.  

The case was referred to the Michigan Department of Attorney General by the Montcalm County Prosecutor’s Office after the victim’s family filed a complaint and the Michigan State Police investigated the allegations.   

A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.