A Big Horn County woman has received a 10-year deferred imposition of sentence and was ordered to pay more than $101,000 in restitution after being convicted of financially exploiting her elderly mother and stepfather, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced.
The case marks the first conviction investigated and prosecuted by the Montana Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Unit, which was permanently established by the Montana Legislature in 2023 at the request of Knudsen to combat abuse and exploitation of seniors.
Kristel Marie Blair was convicted in August 2025 on two counts of exploitation of an older person or incapacitated person, as both victims were over the age of 65 at the time the crimes were committed.
According to investigators, Blair signed a Power of Attorney (POA) in early 2019 that gave her authority to manage her mother’s finances. The agreement allowed Blair to make financial gifts to family members consistent with an established pattern of giving, but it specifically prohibited her from compensating herself.
Prosecutors said Blair violated the terms of that agreement in December 2019, when she wrote and deposited two checks totaling $61,000 from her mother and stepfather’s joint account into her own account. The transactions were described as a “gift investment,” but authorities said the transfers were not authorized under the POA.
Investigators say Blair violated the agreement again in July 2020, when two additional transfers totaling $15,840 were moved from the same joint account into Blair’s personal account. Each of the transactions exceeded the authority granted to her under the power of attorney and were not approved by her stepfather.
In total, Blair was ordered to pay $101,171 in restitution to the victims as part of the sentence.
Authorities also said Blair is facing similar charges in Wyoming related to alleged financial exploitation.
The investigation was conducted by the Division of Criminal Investigation’s Elder Justice Unit, with assistance from the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office, Montana Adult Protective Services, and the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office in Wyoming.
The case was prosecuted by Elder Justice Unit prosecutor Angie Rolando and former prosecutor Mike Fanning.
The Elder Justice Unit, created to specifically investigate abuse and financial exploitation of seniors, is currently handling 12 active investigations, according to the Montana Department of Justice.