Published in ProPublica
By Jake Pearson on September 5th, 2024
New York Guardianship Services (NYGS) had billed Judith Zbiegniewicz $450 a month for court-ordered care, but a judge found the company provided “minimal services, if any” for years, including at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
For roughly a decade, the company paid itself from Zbiegniewicz’s bank account, even as she complained about deteriorating living conditions. The problems that she described — living with bedbugs, rats and no heat — persisted for years, and NYGS did little or nothing to fix them while it collected monthly stipends from her limited funds.
As part of its reporting, ProPublica identified more than a dozen cases like Zbiegniewicz’s in which NYGS failed to meet the needs of those entrusted to its care…
Update, Sept. 16, 2024: Judith Zbiegniewicz said she received a series of checks after this story was published. One was from New York Guardianship Services, which paid her $5,400 in compliance with the court order mentioned in this article. Zbiegniewicz said the company’s check was dated Aug. 30, the same day that ProPublica reached out to NYGS for comment. Separately, Carrington Mortgage Services paid Zbiegniewicz $5,000 and her husband $2,500 to honor a prior housing court settlement, as per the same court order. The lender sent the checks late last week, following ProPublica’s inquiries.
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