On December 2, 2025, officers began investigating a theft from Victim, [NAME REDACTED] in the police reports. Victim resided at an assisted living facility in the City of Apple Valley, County of Dakota, State of Minnesota. Victim [NAME REDACTED] during the last year, she relied on her brother to run errands for her. Her brother could use her debit card. Victim identified her brother as Michael Allen Schmidt, [DOB REDACTED], defendant herein. During this time period, defendant used her account and withdrew money without her permission.
This included for withdrawals, restaurant bills, and Zelle transfers. Victim learned defendant changed her account settings, making her unable to log into her account. Victim stated even after bringing this information to the bank and securing her account, withdrawals were continued from a payday loan company. Defendant admitted to Victim he took the money and offered to pay make the amount in installments. Defendant failed to do so. Officers reviewed bank records. In total, Victim sustained $25,209 in financial loss.
This included Zelle transactions between December 29, 2023, and May 10, 2024, totaling $19,009.58. Officers spoke with defendant. Defendant admitted to taking Victim’s card for over a week at a time. Defendant admitted to using the card for transactions, ATM withdrawals, and initiated Zelle transactions to himself and his girlfriend. Defendant stated he had a gambling problem and acknowledged he stole approximately $25,000 from Victim.
