A Leesburg woman who used a power of attorney to systematically drain nearly $350,000 from her elderly, widowed neighbor was remanded to the Lake County Jail without bond after a jury convicted her earlier this month, with sentencing set for Monday. Kimberly Ruth Bitting, 58, had been free on an $185,000 bond since her September 2024 arrest, but that changed following the jury's verdict on August 13.
According to Leesburg-News.com, Bitting is now awaiting an August 24 sentencing hearing behind bars. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the conviction earlier this week, saying Bitting had secured power of attorney over her elderly neighbor shortly after the victim's husband died in August 2021, then used that authority to isolate and financially exploit her, according to Florida Politics.
Uthmeier said Bitting “systematically exploited a vulnerable senior widow grieving her husband's death,” per Florida Politics's report, and declared that Florida will not tolerate people who prey on elderly residents under the guise of caregiving or trust. Prosecutors said Bitting restricted the victim's communications with her family and threatened to have her declared incompetent and committed, according to the outlet's report on the case, authored by Drew Dixon.
A Widow Isolated, Then Drained Financially
Bitting transferred funds from the victim's accounts into her own bank accounts, her daughter's bank account, and investment accounts over roughly a year and a half, per Florida Politics. She also wrote checks from the victim's accounts and made several ATM withdrawals during that period, the outlet reported. Jurors saw bank records and ATM surveillance video corroborating the unauthorized withdrawals, and Bitting was convicted of a third-degree felony count of cashing or depositing an item with intent to defraud in addition to three felony counts of elderly exploitation, according to the Florida Attorney General's Office.
Roughly $137,000 of the stolen funds went toward purchasing two parcels of land in Calhoun County, titled under a private trust bearing Bitting's own name, the Attorney General's Office said. That property paper trail became key physical evidence of the breach of fiduciary duty at trial.
Victim Fled to New York, Then Was Reported as Kidnapped
The victim eventually left Bitting's home of her own free will, relocating to New York to live with her sister, according to Florida Politics. After the elderly woman escaped Bitting's control and revoked the power of attorney, Bitting reported the voluntary departure to law enforcement as a kidnapping, per the Attorney General's Office and confirmed by Click Orlando.
The case was investigated by Leesburg Police Detective Thomas Kauffman working alongside the Attorney General's Senior Protection Team, which at the time of the September 2024 charges was overseen by then-Attorney General Ashley Moody, and the 5th Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office. Moody has since been succeeded in the role by Uthmeier, who was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis and took office as Florida's 39th Attorney General on February 17, 2025, following Moody's appointment to the U.S. Senate.
Co-Defendants' Cases Take Different Paths
Two co-defendants were also charged in September 2024. Lara Larsen, then 59, had worked as a caregiver for the victim and was charged with organized fraud, released on a $15,000 bond; she later testified for the state in the prosecution against Bitting. Ashton Brianne Silvis, then 37, was charged alongside Larsen and released on a $20,000 bond before pleading guilty to receiving payments from the victim's financial accounts.
Silvis is now awaiting sentencing alongside Bitting, though a date for her hearing has not been scheduled, according to Florida Politics. Larsen's final case status was not addressed in the Attorney General's announcement, leaving her outcome an open question following the trial.
Statewide Prosecution Targets Fiduciary Abuse
The Office of Statewide Prosecution handled the case, with Uthmeier crediting Ana Sacco and Taylor Chatting for helping secure the conviction alongside the Leesburg Police Department. Under Florida Statute Section 825.103, financial exploitation of an elderly person involving assets valued at $50,000 or more is classified as a first-degree felony carrying a statutory penalty of up to 30 years in prison, according to the Florida Senate.
Cases like Bitting's underscore why elder financial exploitation remains a top enforcement priority in Florida, a state home to more than 5 million adults aged 65 and older, or roughly 21 percent of its total population. Suspected elder financial exploitation can be reported to the Department of Children and Families' Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-962-2873 or through Adult Protective Services.
