Olivia Simon Guilty Ewp.57 -

Prosecutor Dana Whitford laid out a devastating timeline. Simon, a former wealth manager and court-appointed guardian, was entrusted with the estate of 87-year-old retired neurologist Dr. Helena Voss. Dr. Voss had no living relatives and named Simon as both her power of attorney and primary beneficiary in a 2021 will.

CENTRAL DISTRICT COURTHOUSE – After seven hours of deliberation, a jury of eight women and four men returned a unanimous verdict: Olivia Simon is guilty on all counts pertaining to code Ewp.57.

Dr. Voss died in a hospice facility eleven months ago, her estate worth less than 2% of its original value. She had been declared "incapacitated" by a doctor Simon selected. Defense attorney Marcus Hale argued that Simon was an overwhelmed, compassionate caretaker who made "administrative errors" but committed no crime. He called Simon to the stand in her own defense—a move several legal analysts called a gamble.

"Olivia Simon did not care for Dr. Voss," Whitford said in her closing statement. "She collected her. She isolated a brilliant woman with the beginnings of mild cognitive impairment, manipulated her medications, and systematically drained a lifetime of savings under the legal cover of 'care expenses.' Ewp.57 exists precisely for predators in cardigans."

The charge, —formally titled "Exploitation of a Vulnerable Person Through Position of Trust for Financial and Emotional Gain"—is a relatively new statute, but one that legal experts say is becoming a cornerstone in complex domestic and fiduciary crime cases. Conviction carries a mandatory minimum of five years in state custody and a lifetime ban from holding any position of financial guardianship. The Case Behind the Code For those who have followed the case, the verdict is less a surprise and more a long-delayed reckoning.

"Helena, you’re being difficult. You know I’m all you have. If you don't sign the refinance papers, you’ll die in a county ward. Is that what you want?"

The courtroom, packed to capacity for the final day of the three-week trial, fell into a heavy silence as the foreperson read the decision. Simon, 34, stood motionless, her hands clasped in front of her. Unlike the composed, polished figure who first entered the plea of "not guilty" six months ago, she appeared hollowed out—a stark contrast to the poised strategist the prosecution painted throughout the trial.

The evidence was largely paper-based: $340,000 in "consulting fees" to a shell company Simon owned, the sale of Dr. Voss’s heirloom piano for $80 (later traced to Simon’s personal storage unit), and 147 forged signatures on checks made out to "cash."

For three days, Simon held her own under direct examination. But under cross-examination, Whitford played a series of voicemails Simon left for Dr. Voss after the woman had moved to hospice.

But it was the emotional testimony from a neighbor, retired nurse , that sealed the emotional weight of the case. Stiles testified that she found Dr. Voss wandering the garden at 2 a.m. in a nightgown, disoriented and crying, repeating, "Olivia took my keys. She says I can't leave."

Outside the courthouse, Prosecutor Whitford offered a brief statement: "This isn't a victory. It's a stopgap. Helena Voss trusted the wrong person. My hope is that Ewp.57 sends a clear message: exploiting the elderly is not a breach of ethics. It is a crime. And we will see you in court."

Simon’s face drained of color. She whispered, "That was taken out of context." But the jury had heard enough. As the judge remanded Simon into custody pending sentencing on June 15, a small group of Dr. Voss’s former colleagues from the university hospital sat in the front row. One held a framed photo of the late doctor.