Like the Miami woman, the elderly woman that Hill is accused of stealing from was especially vulnerable: She suffered from memory loss, had no living relatives and had become increasingly isolated as she aged.

When code enforcement officers visited the woman’s home in early 2021, she was living in deplorable conditions. The roof on her Lake Mann Estates home was collapsing and floors were drenched with cat urine and feces.

Shortly after being told of the situation, Hill led efforts to fix up the woman’s home on Mahalia Drive, enlisting the help of volunteers to replace her roof and soiled carpet and clean the inside of the home.

But Hill also swiftly established power of attorney — completing the process within just 45 days of meeting the woman, investigators say. Recent court filings suggest the woman did not understand how much authority she was handing to Hill.

In Florida, people do not need to enlist help from a lawyer to take control over someone else’s finances — they only need to obtain signatures from the account holder, plus two witnesses and a notary. They can copy and paste sample language that is widely available online.

In Hill’s case, the document used generic language. But one of the witnesses who signed the form is a local attorney.

Some states do not even require these documents to be signed by witnesses or notaries.

Once the document is signed, the person granted power of attorney can present a copy of the record to banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions to gain access to the person’s accounts.

And unlike court-appointed guardians, who face a raft of reporting requirements, people with power of attorney do not typically have to justify their spending to anyone else.

That’s what makes these agreements such low-hanging fruit for thieves, experts say.

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