Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Mary Sudovar: An Unsuspecting Victim?


Life sometimes has unexpected turns that take us to situations we never supposed possibly to become our own. It could never happen to us…not us. I’m sure that is what Mary Sudovar once thought. Never her or her family, she might have thought, if ever a negative consideration crossed this special woman’s mind in the first place. So how did it come to be that the children she so loves are now at odds and the court system is involved?

Thirty-three months ago, Mary had an estate that should have kept her comfortable for her remaining years. She had funds and she had property. Now her money is allegedly gone, her house is sold and the alleged attorney in fact is requesting the court to allow him to take the house sale money as a repayment for a loan he and his wife supposedly made to his mother. So where does that leave the 102 year old Mary Sudovar?

Some might try to argue that Mary is not a victim. I’m not sure what the argument might be. After all, what does one call it when family runs through that much money in that short of a time? And what happens now? Does Mary stay on with family for free? Will there be no more additional charges? If it can be done now, why not before? But what about the private nursing personnel? Who will be picking up the tab for that? Or, will that service end? Will Mary stay or will she go?

Full Article and Source:
Mary Sudovar: An Unsuspecting Victim?
See Also: Mary Sudovar: The Children at War

20 comments:

Thelma said...

Feuding siblings feed the lawyers and judges.

Anonymous said...

The Record: Failure at 4Cs
Thursday, October 11, 2012
The Record

THOUSANDS OF residents in Passaic County depend on the work of non-profits, many of them agencies that perform miracles every day in helping lower-income families survive one crisis after another, one week to the next. Now we find that one non-profit that has played such a vital rule in shoring up the so-called safety net has also been less than responsible with government money it has been responsible for disbursing.

As Staff Writer Harvy Lipman reports, the 4Cs of Passaic County, which oversees day care in Passaic County, will lose $900,000 in state funding in order to make up for a retirement nest egg given to its former executive director and other "disallowed" uses of its financial support from Trenton. The state Department of Human Services, after an audit of the agency, ays 4Cs wasn't permitted to use state funds for former director Mary Ann Mirko's deferred compensation account.

Incredibly, the child-care oversight organization paid Mirko, its longtime leader, nearly $1.4 million for both her retirement fund and other fringe benefits from 2003 through 2010. Until her retirement in January, Mirko was one of the highest-paid non-profit executives in North Jersey.

Turns out nothing here was done illegally, but it's about as wrong as you can get. Sadly, it is one more case in Passaic County where an agency or non-profit meant to do good, to help people in need, has instead compensated its high-ranking employees as if they worked for a multinational investment bank.

What, it is fair to ask, were board members who were supposed to be watching over the agency's finances doing while all this taxpayer money was flying out the window, not to help people in need, but to pad an employee's retirement package?

Keith Darragh, the current chairman of the 4Cs board, who arrived after the non-profit approved the last extension of Mirko's contract containing the retirement payments, says 4Cs will have "to put this behind us and move forward as an agency."

Unfortunately, 4Cs now not only has a money problem, it has a public relations problem. Darragh told The Record the 4Cs board is developing a fundraising plan to replace the lost funds. A reasonable person might ask why anyone should contribute to a non-profit that has shown itself to be so self-serving in the past. If Darragh and the board really want to move forward, they will ask for the resignations of any and all who approved the Mirko package.

This unsavory business involving 4Cs is reminiscent of the recent fallout involving the One-Stop Career Center in Passaic County, also heavily publicly funded, where a state audit revealed that two administrators had been getting overtime for several years despite being ineligible as salaried employees. Perhaps it should be stated more clearly: Non-profits that receive state funding are not entitled to spend money in freewheeling fashion.

Sadly, these are programs on which a large swath of the region's population depends. Formerly known as the North Jersey Community Coordinated Child Care Agency, 4Cs had an operating budget in 2010 of $34.5 million. According to its audited financial statement, all but a few thousand dollars of its revenue comes from state and federal funds.

As The Record reports, 4Cs provides an invaluable service as the child-care resource and referral program for Passaic County. Among other programs, it oversees state and federal child-care voucher programs and runs the county's referral service for parents seeking child care.

Now, thanks to this outrageous compensation for Mirko, as well as other misappropriations, 4Cs will see its state outlay drastically cut — by nearly $300,000 in each of the next three fiscal quarters. The worst part is that the penalty will not hit those who behaved so irresponsibly, but those who need the agency's services the most.

*note

Mary Ann (Sudovar) Mirko mentioned here is Mary Sudovars oldest daighter.

Betty said...

As I read this, I hoped Mary has dementia and doesn't know how her children are feuding....

Anonymous said...

what did the court do to help Mary, when her children did not agree on her care. What was their disagreement over, was there a trial, what are the specifics of the case? So much money spent must be some good case study here! Was a crime committed?

Alison said...

This article makes me think of the thousands of elderly people who are unaware of how the assets they have spent a lifetime working for are spent. Lawyers and guardians profit from family feuds.

StandUp said...

Mary is the victim. ALL of the children should work together to be sure she gets to see each and every one of them.

Anonymous said...

anon this matter has been heard before judge margaret mary mcveigh in the paterson nj superior court, google her name if you are truly interested in understanding what sort of judge she is?
the defs have disobeyed every order from the court and through their attorney John Ridley of Drinker Biddle and Reath whom this judge gushes over making repeated ill advised remarks that smack of a bias.

more to follow, carrie is on to something

Anonymous said...

stand up the defs in this matter have no intention of working 'together', their intent was to bankrupt the estate and have done so. they seek to reimburse them selves to the tune of 20-k per month in the residence of a daughter and son in law at or near the 1400 hundred dollar amount of Mary's SSI schedule, how coincedental?
Judge McVeigh has NOT guarded Mary much less the estate.

Anonymous said...

New Jersey Medical Proxy Directive Deficiencies December 21, 2011 Criminal news in Passaic,,

1,017 views

100 year old woman subject of covert medical Medical Proxy.

Breaking news from by stewart resmer/ in stephen g sudovar,maryann mirko,kathleen proulx,judge mary margaret mcveigh,medical proxy directive,john ridley, Criminal.




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Passaic, New Jersey, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) December 21, 2011 -- A medical proxy directive is intended to assure an individual that if she or he becomes incapacitated that there will be some one to make decisions on their behalf. While that seems reasonable enough, New Jersey law leaves individuals who are subject of a proxy at risk for fraud and abuse.



Here in New Jersey, there is no threshold to qualify that the proxy be of good character, nor be able to read, write or do basic math, why it has even been said that 'Mr Wiggles the dog could obtain a proxy over another if he could get his paw print on the directive and two persons signed it as witnesses'.

The proxy as it stands in New Jersey today does not require that the signatures affixed to the proxy be notarized or filed in any court to be reviewed by any judge, or even reveal the existence of any such proxy for those who can demonstrate a bona fide need to know about the existence of the proxy.

Think of it, some one has life or death control over another and it is not subject to any courts checks and balances!



In the example of Mary Sudovar who is 101 years old, her daughter MaryAnn (Sudovar) Mirko, obtained a covert proxy witnessed by Mirko's daughter MaryAnn (Mirko) Lazio, and daughter in law Dawn (Gormley) Mirko all residents of Wayne Township, who then after having obtained the proxy told no one else about its existence until such time as it was when Mary's youngest daughter Barbara discovered that Mary was choking and had her rushed to Chilton Hospital ER and there after the proxy was used by Mirko against Barbara who when she discovered Barbara hand feeding Mary during her recovery saying "Don't feed her! don't feed her!",

Since then Mirko has thrown her weight around to prevent Barbara from even visiting her mother, with Mirko using every excuse imaginable to discourage Barbara from seeing her mother Mary, an alleged incapacitated person. I use the word alleged because in New Jersey it takes two doctors to sign off on Mary's incapacitation and in Mary's case two doctors have not done so.



Mirko in many instances has exceed the spirit and intent of the medical proxy to Mary's distinct disadvantage, for instance Mary has expressed the desire to live in her own home. Mirko exerts the proxy to say it is not in Mary's interest to live in her own home even though Mary has health care workers to care for her at yet another daughters home where Mary is confined against her will, Kathleen (Sudovar) Proulx's residence.

Mirko asserts the proxy to deprive Mary of food and liquids while at the same time she has in the past administered potentially lethal injections of morphine despite the fact the Mary has no known disease state what so ever, its just that Mary is on in her years and Mirko has access to morphine and has made the decision to administer the drug.

While all of this plays out Mary's son Stephen G. Sudovar a past president of Roche labs, obtained a power of attorney from Mary signed in New Jersey but filed in Delaware with no paper trail in New Jersey where Mary lives.



Speaking for myself, all of this is far too much power being taken by others in the affairs of another, even their mother when they stand to collect many thousands of dollars from the estate. It is time for the New Jersey legislature to revisit the medical proxy criteria to assure every one that there are checks and balances to protect the most vulnerable in our society that simply do not exist today in the medical proxy directive here.

jerri said...

no winners in this contest well i need to reconsider that statement if lawyers are involved or any state agencies who need cases to show they earned their funding always needing more funding i agree with bettys comment sometimes the curses of aging can be a blessing in this case i hope mary is spared the agony of the disagreements and how her hard earned money is being used up on others instead of on herself shameful

Sara said...

Problem is courts do not care, and the sister Mary is exploiting the crap out of her mother. Follow the money...look at her track record. She is a thief!
Barbara do not give up!!

Jim said...

Mary's money should be spent on her, not used to repay a loan. I am sure Mary spent much more than the loan amount on her son as she was raising him. Now is the time for her money to be spent on her comfort.

Anonymous said...

Maryann Mirko covertly obtained a medical proxy over her 102 year old mother which was witnessed by her daughter, Maryann Mirko Lazio and daughter in law Dawn Gormley Mirko.

The covert proxy was affirmed by Superior Court Judge Margaret Mary McVeigh during a hearing on the well being of the aged woman.

Maryann Mirko was the CEO of 4C's Paterson formerly known as the North Jersey Community Coordinated Child Care Agency a 501 C3 non profit charity, and has come under the scutiny of the department of Human Services for nearly one million dollars of disallowed budget disbursments.

This matter has been referred by Governor Christie to the Attorney Generals Office for active investigation under # 201202840.

Given the circumstances of the on going criminal investigation launched as a result of the DHS audit and disallowed monies, the moral question arises as to the fitness and fidelity of Maryann Mirko to continue to be the designated medical proxy as affirmed by Judge McVeigh? Especially in view of the fact that the aged womans estate of nearly one million dollars has been exhausted since the filing of the proxy and its affirmation by Judge McVeigh.

If you know or think you know of any other incidents of possible illegal activities by Maryann Mirko, for the well being and safety of a defenseless 102 year old woman you are encouraged to contact the Attorney General @ 609 984 6500.

Gloria Jean Sykes said...

Mary S. should have just spent all her money enjoying her life and left nothing to the children -- donating the home to a non profit of her choice. If there was no money the children would probably not have anything to do with her. I know this to be true because had it not been that my father left my mother a lot of money and of course my mother having saving and invested a lot of money, my sister Carolyn Toerpe would have stated estranged from the family. Yep, I'm leaving my wealth (if acquired again as Toerpe and company have stole it under the noses of law enforcement) to my non profit, Bon Ami, to help men, women and children who are living with cancer or cured from cancer(s) prevent new cancers and or reoccurrence. God bless Mary S. She like too many elderly are held hostage by their greedy children. This churning of assets must stop.

Anonymous said...

UPDATE:
Attorney John Ridley (Drinker Biddle and Reath)on behalf of Stephen G Sudovar jr. has sent a 'letter brief' to Judge Margaret Mary McVeigh Passaic New Jersey Superior Court presiding
(PAS-C-70-12)instructing the court to impose a 'protetcive order' over any public disclosure of the the accounting that to date they have refused to produce. In the 'letter brief' and other filings Ridley asserts 'eyes only' status that gives he and his client absolute disgression over what is confidential or not and seeks to give his client final word as to what accounting of the estate may be seen by any person of interest what so ever, having already shared the details of the accounting with the very people who have financialy benefited from Mary's now bankrupted estate.
Nor has Ridley, Sudovar, or Maryann Mirko et al produced any signed loan documents between them and Mary for the nearly one million dollars of Mary's evaporated estate.
This attempt to block access, and subsequent forensic accounatbility of any potential misdeeds on the part of those with access to Marys estate is part and parcel of a pattern of deception practiced on the part of the defendants (PAS-C-1-10)in these matters who at 1st covertly obtained a medical proxy, witnessed by Mirko's daughter and daughter in law, as def Stephen G Sudovar jr covertly obtained a financial POA, signed in new Jersey but filed in Delaware by Drinker Biddle and Reath.
As Judge Margaret McVeigh has before her a motion to recuse herself from these proceedings for bias.

More to follow.

Anonymous said...

Update: Judge McVeigh has refused to rule on a motion to recuse for bias.
Instead McVeigh has forbade a one hour Thanksgiving day visit between Mary's daughter Barbara, and stripped them of a Christmas day visit as well as New Years day. To further add insult to injury the court has vacated the one hour Sunday visists and moved those to Wednesday at noon which is a work day for Barbara who would have to travel miles each way in the middle of the week. This was done to satisfy Bennin Versaci of Spectrum Geriatrics of Butler New Jersey's desire to not have to work on Sunday.

This hearing should have triggered a mistrial due to the court clerks admitted error on the record when she informed the parties that only lawyers and Versaci were to have been at court while the court proceeded with the matter regardless!

This is yet another example of why NASGA was formed and actively tracks the miscarriage of justice when it comes to the abuse of the elderly and infirmed at the hands of Judges like Margaret Mary McVeigh, Paterson NJ and those who use the courts to deny people like Mary, an alleged incapacitated person, her full civil rights, freedom of association, life, liberty. and pursuit of happiness, and activley prosecute alienation of affection at the hands of the predatory and unscupulous individuals named here.

Anonymous said...

Co-Executors Of New Jersey Estate Must Act In Concert; Unilateral Action By Co-Executor May Constitute Grounds For Removal
June 6th, 2011 ·

A New Jersey court has held that a co-executor’s “unbridled belief she could act unilaterally in administering the decedent’s estate without the need for consent from the co-executrix … [may] amount[] to a breach of the [co-executor’s] … fiduciary duty [and] … [constitute] cause for her removal.” In the Matter of the Estate of Albert Sauer, Deceased, (N.J. Super. Ct., Ch. Div., Bergen County, Docket No. BER-P-088-11, May 19, 2011).

Lynne, who had been the decedent’s agent under a durable power of attorney during his life and assisted him with his financial affairs prior to his death, had access to all of the decedent’s assets. She began to administer the decedent’s estate even before the decedent’s will was probated and continued thereafter without notification to or approval from her sister, the co-executor. Among other actions, Lynne paid the decedent’s bills with estate assets, refused to provided information about the decedent’s finances or medical history to the co-executor, opened and closing accounts and sold shares of stock without the co-executor’s knowledge or consent, distributed personal items to herself and placed into storage personal items to be distributed to the other beneficiaries, and failed to provide an accounting she had been ordered to provide by the court. She also refused to pay Maria’s attorney from estate assets, although she paid her own attorney out of estate funds.



As the court in In re Greim’s Will made clear, “[i]t is, of course, elementary that co-executors are regarded in the law as an individual fiduciary in the administration of the estate entrusted to them.” 140 N.J. Eq. 183, 186 (Prerog. Ct. 1947) (citing Shreve v. Joyce, 36 N.J.L. 44, 48 (1872)). Accordingly, absent circumstances requiring an executor to bring an action against the other executor, the executors are required to act in concert. Id. at 187. Moreover, executors have a “duty to participate in the administration of the estate and each had the duty to use reasonable care to prevent the others from committing a breach of trust.” In re Koretsky, supra, 8 N.J. at 524 (citing 2 Scott on Trusts, § 184, p. 972).

Anonymous said...

This past week Judge McVeigh did rule on Mary and Barbara's motion to schedule the holiday visitation dates.

Because Mary Ann (Sudovar) Mirko has historically and capriciously vacated holiday visits using every excuse imaginable, Barbara decided to ask the Judge to rule

Here's what the judge did.

Barbara and Mary will NOT have a Thanksgiving Day visit.

Barbara and Mary will NOT have a Christmas day visit.

Barbara and Mary will NOT have a New Years day visit.

And, Barbara and Mary will NOT have a Sunday one hour visit any longer, instead they will visit on Wednesday at noon, a work day!

Judge McVeigh is not fit to sit on the bench.

Anonymous said...

UPDATE:
Judge McVeigh refuses to recuse for bias.

Anonymous said...

Update
Judge McVeigh tells Stephen G Sudovar that he must post a bond for the money he claims to have loaned his mother, Mary Sudovar. Judge McVeigh expressed concerns about many, many, thousands of dollars of Mary Sudovars estate going to family members.