Ron Welch
Muskingum County Prosecutor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 14, 2025
Judge Sentences Woman to 4 Years in Prison for Financial Theft from 85-Year-Old Father
On February 21,2025 Ginger Kinney pleaded guilty to two felony counts of theft involving an elderly person. These charges stem from her stealing more than $100,000 from her now 85-year-old father.
On April 7, 2025, Kinney returned to court for her sentencing. She appeared before Judge Cottrill, who imposed a sentence of at least 4 and up to 6 years in prison. The judge also ordered her to pay $91,000 in restitution to her father.
Details of the Case:
Kinney began her role as power of attorney for her father in 2010, following her mother's death. A power of attorney is a legal document that allows someone else to act on your behalf and make decisions in areas of your life such as your finances, property, and healthcare. She maintained that power until 2021. At that point, Kinney's three sisters learned that she had been stealing from their father over the past decade.
Taylor and his family immediately removed Kinney from her position. At that point, Taylor's three other daughters took on the responsibilities of caring for their father.
The extent of Ginger Kinney's theft was revealed when her father, Thomas Taylor, filed a complaint with the Muskingum County Sheriff’s office in 2023. The complaint detailed how Kinney stole thousands of dollars from her father over the course of the last 10 years.
Kinney's theft included stealing rental income from Taylor's properties and misusing various credit cards. As Taylor's power of attorney, Kinney also had permission to access her father's checking account. Kinney stole money from her father’s checking account by using funds to pay for her own personal expenses.
During their investigation, detectives also uncovered that Kinney did not file her own state income tax returns from 2014 to 2022. Nor did she file on behalf of her father as his power of attorney for many years as well.
Kinney faced many felony charges. Each count in the indictment detailed a specific way in which she committed theft. When people commit crimes, they face charges for all the laws they break. Ginger Kinney pleaded guilty to two felony counts which could have included up to $187,500.00 in losses. This guilty plea led to the dismissal of remaining charges that covered the same crimes.
Assistant Prosecutor, Michael Hughes, who handled the case all the way through to the sentencing said: "Those who seek out the elderly and take advantage of people that must rely on others for help is certainly one of the worst forms of betrayal and abuse." Hughes also highlighted that, "A crime need not involve physical harm to be injurious. All the years Mr. Taylor spent building a legacy for his family was nearly squandered away by the selfish interests Mrs. Kinney. "
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