The niece of a late Navy commander is applauding Virginia lawmakers for passing a bill aimed at putting additional safeguards in place to protect seniors from financial exploitation as she appeals the dismissal of a suit seeking to hold banks accountable for transferring $3.68 million from her uncle’s accounts as part of alleged scams.
Janine Williamson, formerly known as Janine Satterfield, testified before the Virginia Senate Commerce and Labor Committee earlier this month and spoke of how her once money-savvy uncle, Larry Cook, became the victim of suspected wire fraud following a stroke in 2019. Despite Cook’s impaired cognition, Wells Fargo and Navy Federal Credit Union allegedly wired $3.68 million from his accounts to Thailand as part of a six-month, suspected, and ongoing scam, according to Williamson’s negligence complaint that was dismissed in May in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
