A 49-year-old man from Bath, New Hampshire, faces a massive prison sentence after admitting he spent years siphoning money from a veteran who couldn’t defend himself. Donald Estes pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to one count of bank fraud, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of 30 years behind bars and a $1 million fine.
The case is particularly grim because of how the theft started. The victim was an elderly, disabled veteran living in a nursing home who was mentally unable to manage his own finances.
For years, the Department of Veterans Affairs sent monthly disability checks to the man’s bank account. After the veteran’s mother—who had been his legal guardian—passed away, nursing home staff asked Estes if he would take over the responsibility.
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Instead of going through the legal channels to become a guardian, Estes took a shortcut that allowed him to treat the veteran’s life savings like a personal piggy bank. He convinced the elderly man to sign a document adding Estes to his bank account.
From August 2020 until December 2023, Estes systematically drained $225,200 from the account. Prosecutors say he blew the stolen cash on personal shopping and shuffled the rest into accounts he controlled, all while the veteran remained in the care of the nursing home until his death.
U.S. District Judge Paul J. Barbadoro is set to sentence Estes on May 11, 2026. While the law allows for a three-decade sentence, the final decision will depend on federal sentencing guidelines. For now, a man who saw an elderly veteran as a paycheck rather than a person is finally waiting for his own day of reckoning.
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