Financial elder and dependent abuse is often under reported and when it is reported, it often times already caused a great financial burden on the victim.

Our next recipient helped prevent a financial crime before it happened to a wheelchair-bound man.

Marlene Ruiz is a personal banker who intervened when she noticed a con artist was trying to take advantage of her client by making him extract thousands of dollars from his bank account.

Watch each individual story of this year’s Citizens of Courage honorees in the links below:

William Stamm, William Stout and Bala Carter

Cynthia Doucette

Marlene Ruiz

Matthew Bruhin

Maria Figueroa

Shiva Ghaed and Taylor Winston

William Stamm, William Stout and Bala Carter are three good Samaritans who intervened and stopped a man who was beating a woman with a tire iron no the side of a busy street in plain daylight.

These three men – a football coach, a construction worker and a student – did not know each other or the victim in this case, but all three stopped their cars and took action to stop the attack.

They each risked serious harm when they helped stop the defendant from killing his girlfriend, and restrained him until police arrived then testified against him at trial to help bring justice to the victim.

Watch each individual story of this year’s Citizens of Courage honorees in the links below:

William Stamm, William Stout and Bala Carter

Cynthia Doucette

Marlene Ruiz

Matthew Bruhin

Maria Figueroa

Shiva Ghaed and Taylor Winston

In San Diego County, almost 23 percent of the population is projected to be over age 65 by the year 2050, which is a 10 percent increase from 2015. With the older population increasing, elder abuse is also on the rise. Adult Protective Services has continued to receive an increased number of referrals from fiscal years 2014 to 2017.  Financial abuse was the most common form of abuse seen in their confirmed cases, followed by mental suffering and physical abuse. In this video, victims of elder abuse recount their stories, including financial and physical elder abuse.

[READ MORE ABOUT THE FIRST COUNTY BLUEPRINT TO HELP COMBAT ELDER ABUSE]

[En Español]

Winter can be a difficult time for the homeless in San Diego.  So, in the spirit of giving this holiday season, District Attorney Investigators organized a blanket drive to help those in need at the Alpha Project’s homeless shelter. DA Summer Stephan helped deliver the donations personally. Watch more in the video. [TWEET THIS]

The District Attorney’s Office hosted this year’s annual Regional Law Enforcement Teddy Bear Drive to bring a little extra holiday cheer to Rady Children’s Hospital patients and their families. Watch more in this video. [TWEET THIS]

(Video en Español, aquí.)