Laci Silgjord found guilty in financial exploitation case

Former Cloquet police officer exploited now-deceased 78-year-old vulnerable adult, gaining access to victim’s bank accounts and attempting to inherit her estate worth more than $150K; found guilty on one count of attempted theft by swindle over $35,000

Case referred to AGO by Carlton County Attorney; investigated and charged by Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, tried jointly by Medicaid Fraud and Criminal Division

May 19, 2025 (SAINT PAUL) — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced today that his office has obtained a guilty verdict at the criminal trial of Laci Marie Silgjord in Carlton County. A jury found Silgjord guilty of one count of felony attempted theft by swindle (over $35,000).

In July 2023, Attorney General Ellison’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) charged Silgjord by criminal complaint in Carlton County District Court with financially exploiting Joan Arney, at the time a 78-year-old with dementia that Silgjord met through her employment as a then-Cloquet police officer. Four months after meeting the victim, Silgjord represented herself to a bank as her fiduciary, despite having no legal authority for this role, and gained access to the victim’s bank accounts. After knowing Ms. Armey for approximately five months before she passed away, Silgjord attempted to inherit her entire estate, worth more than $150,000, despite Ms. Armey having surviving family. 

Silgjord will be sentenced at a date to be determined.

“My thoughts today are with the late Joan Armey and her family: they should never have been exploited the way Laci Silgjord shamelessly exploited them. In trying to cheat Ms. Arney and her family out of her estate, Silgjord betrayed her oath to her badge, her department, and the community she was supposed to serve. I’m pleased she has now been held accountable for those betrayals,” Attorney General Ellison said.

“My congratulations and thanks go to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit: they are vigilant about holding accountable those who exploit the most vulnerable Minnesotans among us, and they are very successful at it. Their work is core to the mission of my office and I am extremely proud of them. I am also very grateful for the assistance of the Criminal Division in prosecuting this case, and most especially grateful for the continued close partnership between Carlton County Attorney Lauri Ketola, her office, and my office,” Attorney General Ellison continued.

Attorney General Ellison’s office prosecuted Silgjord upon a referral from Carlton County Attorney Lauri Ketola under Minnesota Statutes Sec. 8.01, which provides, “Upon request of the county attorney, the attorney general shall appear in court in such criminal cases as the attorney general deems proper.”

The MFCU investigated and charged this case. The trial team included prosecutors from the MFCU and the Criminal Division of Attorney General Ellison’s office. Attorney General Ellison extends his thanks to Carlton County Attorney Lauri Ketola and her staff for their support and assistance throughout the investigation and week-long trial.

Attorney General Ellison’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit works to uncover, investigate, and prosecute individuals or organizations that steal from Medicaid and that exploit, neglect, or abuse vulnerable victims. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75% of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Attorney General Ellison is currently asking the Legislature for enhanced funding for the MFCU that will allow the Office to hire nine more staff, including seven new investigators and a new prosecutor. This request comes at the recommendation of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, to bring the size of Minnesota’s MFCU more in line with that of comparable states. An HHS OIG audit has also found that Minnesota’s MFCU already punches above its weight: from 2020–22, Minnesota won the most convictions for provider fraud when compared with similarly sized states. 

This case is also a prime example of the kind of case the Criminal Division is now able to accept from county attorneys thanks to enhanced funding for the Criminal Division that the Minnesota Legislature passed in 2023. Attorney General Ellison asked the Legislature for this funding for four years, with Governor Tim Walz’s support, before the Legislature finally passed it.

Timeline of the accusations against Silgjord 

As outlined in the  criminal complaint and as proven at trial, Silgjord first met the victim in May 2020 when Silgjord responded to the victim’s residence for a call regarding a stolen purse. By January 2021, Silgjord had attempted to obtain the victim’s entire remaining estate despite the victim having surviving family and no written estate plan awarding anything to Silgjord. This was despite a Cloquet Police Department policy that in order to “avoid actual or perceived conflicts of interest members of this department shall refrain from developing or maintaining personal or financial relationships with victims, witnesses or other individuals during the course of, or as a direct result of, any official contact.” 

Then-Officer Silgjord first encountered the victim on May 5, 2020, when she responded to a call about a stolen purse.  On June 2, 2020, Silgjord performed a welfare check at the victim’s house upon the request of the victim’s half-brother. Silgjord and other officers conducted a second welfare check on August 25, 2020, when they found the victim in very poor condition, including that she had suffered a stroke and had deficits in memory and attention. The victim was immediately transported to the hospital.  

On September 4, 2020, the hospital petitioned for guardianship for the victim due to “severe memory and orientation deficits which make her unable to make higher level decisions about her medical care.” At a court hearing on the guardianship, Silgjord stated that a social worker at the hospital asked Silgjord to be the victim’s guardian. The Court appointed Silgjord as guardian on September 11, 2020, which allowed her to perform duties related to personal care and custody. Silgjord was never appointed as a conservator to make financial decisions for the victim or manage the victim’s money, however. 

Throughout September 2020, Silgjord recorded multiple bedside conversations with the victim.  During one conversation, the victim said she did not know where she was, did not know her maiden name, did not know her father’s name, and did not remember how old her son was when he died.  Silgjord also showed the victim a photograph of herself when she was younger; the victim did not recognize herself. During this conversation, Silgjord told the victim that she was her “new grandma” and that she loved the victim.  The victim responded that she loved Silgjord and that she wanted to take care of her. 

In late September 2020, Silgjord presented guardianship paperwork to the victim’s bank. She documented on a form titled “Fiduciary Accounts Application & Agreement” that she was the victim’s fiduciary and that she had the authority to access the victim’s accounts.   

Medical records in October 2020 documented the victim’s continued regression, and at times noted she was hallucinating. On October 28, 2020, the victim passed away with no surviving children and no will. Silgjord did not notify the victim’s estranged husband and next of kin about the victim’s death.   

Shortly after the victim’s death, Silgjord met the victim’s estranged husband at a restaurant. The Court’s order appointing Silgjord as guardian indicated that her guardianship expired upon the victim’s death — yet Silgjord claimed to the victim’s estranged husband that she was “in charge” of ensuring the victim’s wishes were carried out. Silgjord also refused to give the estranged husband the keys to the victim’s house. When the estranged husband asked Silgjord about submitting paperwork to access the victim’s bank accounts, Silgjord responded that he could “probably not” do this “because I am on the account.”   

On November 24, 2020, the victim’s estranged husband went to the victim’s house, where he encountered Silgjord. Silgjord falsely claimed she had a guardianship and conservatorship over the victim, refused to provide him the keys, and said that she would not do so “until the courts make me sign it over.” 

On December 18, 2020, Silgjord filed a petition seeking to be appointed personal representative of the victim’s estate. Silgjord claimed the estate was indebted to her for guardianship expenses. Some of compensation sought by Silgjord included time she supposedly spent on the guardianship while Silgjord was on duty as a police officer. 

On January 28, 2021, Silgjord filed a claim against the victim’s estate for $71,601.58, which she estimated to be the estate’s total value. In describing her claim, Silgjord wrote “Prior to Joan’s death she told me she loved me & wanted to take care of me & my family. I was Joan’s friend & court appointed guardian.”   

On March 9, 2021, Silgjord filed a second claim seeking an additional $86,611.70 from the estate, which represented the total of the inheritance the victim was set to receive from her stepmother’s estate. In describing this claim, Silgjord wrote, “I was Joan’s court appointed guardian & took care of her prior to her death. There is no formal will but Joan told me & my husband she loved us and wanted to take care of us. I have this recorded on my cell phone.”   

The Court denied Silgjord’s claims against the victim’s estate. Silgjord’s employment as a Cloquet police officer ended in June 2022.