A federal complaint accuses Laura Whisenant of misusing $121,980 in Social Security benefits paid on behalf of her disabled uncle, according to ClickOnDetroit’s report on the complaint filed Sept. 8. The alleged misuse ran from December 2013 through June 2023, the report said. The allegations have not been adjudicated.
What the complaint alleges
The uncle was unable to manage his finances and depended on the benefits for his needs, according to the report. After a fire damaged a family home in Ypsilanti, Whisenant moved him to a Detroit house in 2017. Adult Protective Services removed him in 2023, and a guardianship petition was later approved. A professional guardian was appointed, and the man was moved to assisted living, ClickOnDetroit reported.
Investigators who inspected the Detroit property in February 2024 reported that it lacked running water and electricity, along with a garbage-covered kitchen and a wood-burning fireplace. APS determined that the residence was unsuitable for habitation, according to the report.
The financial allegations concern how the benefits were spent, according to ClickOnDetroit.
The report also mentions restaurants, fast-food, nail-salon, massage and other purchases. Whisenant received roughly $1,500 to $1,800 per month for her uncle and told investigators she spent the money on his care, but she could not provide supporting records, according to the report.
The case’s status and the payee’s legal duty
Whisenant told investigators that her visits became less frequent over time and that she did not arrange medical or dental care while her uncle lived in Detroit. The assisted-living facility’s owner said no one had paid for his care after he arrived, the report said. The Social Security Administration suspended the benefits after Whisenant failed to provide spending information. ClickOnDetroit reported on the case’s status.
Federal law prohibits a representative payee from converting benefit payments to a use other than the beneficiary’s benefit. The article discusses that duty and Social Security Administration oversight.
What Michigan APS data can—and cannot—show
Michigan Adult Protective Services investigates allegations involving abuse, neglect and exploitation of vulnerable adults and acts to mitigate current or future risks, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ Fiscal Year 2024 APS report. The report describes APS clients as vulnerable adults.
The program received 57,504 referrals alleging abuse, neglect or exploitation in fiscal year 2024, investigated 21,137 and substantiated 41%, according to the state report. In fiscal year 2025, APS received 61,914 referrals, investigated 23,879 and substantiated 40%, according to the Fiscal Year 2025 report.
Those figures provide statewide scale for APS work. The reports present combined figures for abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Oversight gaps remain part of the broader backdrop
Representative-payee oversight is part of the broader context discussed in the article.
The article also provides broader context about representative payees. That context does not establish whether any screening or monitoring occurred in this case.
Where reports go
Michigan APS is the state system for investigating suspected abuse, neglect and exploitation involving vulnerable adults. The article does not provide reporting instructions for suspected Social Security fraud. The U.S. Department of Justice’s National Elder Fraud Hotline is available at 833-FRAUD-11, according to the Justice Department.
