On April 14, 2025, the Burnsville Police Department received a report relating to Victim, a resident of Burnsville, Dakota County. Witness 1 reported that he and Witness 2 came to the city for a visit and wanted to take his mother, Victim (YOB: 1934), out to dinner. When they arrived Witness 1’s brother, STEVEN LARRY FRITZ [DOB REDACTED], Defendant herein, was sitting outside. Defendant appeared very red-faced and told Witness 1 & Witness 2 they were not coming in the house. Witness 1 indicated Defendant moved in with Victim approximately a year prior and had since changed Victim’s will and added his name to her checking account.
The responding officer knocked on the door and Defendant was non-responsive despite looking outside his window at officers. Victim came to the door and appeared to be confused but otherwise appeared to be okay. The officer later spoke to Defendant, who said he did not want Victim to go with Witness 1 and Witness 2 because Victim had dementia and needed to be cared for. Defendant made a comment about taking revenge over Witness 1 for reporting him to the police. The matter was referred to a detective and Dakota County Adult Protection, who conducted an investigation and learned that, per her medical records, Victim had been diagnosed with a brain aneurysm in November 2022 and Alzheimer’s in February 2024. Defendant obtained a power of attorney over Victim’s assets on May 1, 2024. As of March 26, 2025, Victim’s primary doctor determined Victim’s dementia, which she’d been struggling with for years, had advance to the point of Victim [NAME REDACTED] in memory care and it was unsafe for her to be alone at home for any period of time.
Victim [NAME REDACTED] on May 6, 2025. Victim’s financial records for a checking account that included Defendant showed numerous ATM withdrawals at nearby casinos between May 2024-May 2025 totaling $27,151.89. There were also 10 cash advances in 2024 that totaled $19,650, some of which correlated to the ATM withdrawals. There was a wire transfer into the account on May 13, 2025 for $84.849.83 from Titlesmart, Inc. The next day a cashier’s check payable to Defendant for $55,000 was drawn on the account, along with a $5,000 cash withdrawal and a payment for $5,100 to a car dealer.
On June 9, 2025, $45,000 from the cashier’s check was later redeposited in the account with a $10,000 withdrawal and three several additional $10,000 withdrawals at other branch locations that day. An additional $1,113 was drawn on a cashier’s check to the 3 19HA-CR-26-66 Filed in District Court State of Minnesota 1/15/2026 same auto dealer on May 20, 2025. The records showed that a credit card in only Victim’s name with no transactions occurring except $405.29 worth in April 2025. A home equity line of credit in only victim’s name increased in debt by $7650 between May 2024 to April 2025. Another credit card in Victim’s name had $4012.30 in transactions, including a $1,055.00 casino ATM withdrawal between January and April 2025. Another of Victim’s accounts showed three casino ATM withdrawals for $1004.00 each on May 14, June 2, and June 9, 2025. Records from the casinos showed Defendant had players card accounts and in 2024 and 2025 and had engaged in a large amount of gambling.
