Washington State guardian sentenced after taking from 21 clients over seven years
Wayne Jerome Houston, 61, of Port Ludlow, Washington, who owned and operated Cross Point Services LLC, a guardianship business for disabled and vulnerable adults, was sentenced on October 14, 2020 to one year and a day in prison and $256,336 in restitution for Social Security representative payee fraud. Over about seven years he took money from the accounts of 21 clients, using his access to write checks to himself, to his company or to cash, and to make ATM withdrawals, on 240 occasions. Social Security benefits were paid into accounts for at least 13 of the clients, for whom he was the representative payee.
- Year
- 2020
- Where
- United States
- Outcome
- Sentenced
- Reported loss
- $256,336
- Victims
- Not stated in the sources
- Schemes
- Representative payee fraud
- Last reviewed
- 2026-10-20
The facts, as recorded
- Houston and his company were responsible for managing the financial affairs of about two dozen clients a month, with access to their bank accounts so he could pay their rent, utilities and other bills.
- Social Security benefits were paid into accounts for at least 13 clients who required a representative payee, and Houston was that payee.
- Beginning in 2010 Houston used his position as guardian to write checks from client accounts to himself, to Cross Point Services or to cash, and withdrew money at ATMs, using it for his own expenses.
- Houston targeted clients who had significant income or resources so that the theft was less likely to be detected.
- In all, 21 clients suffered thefts, ranging from a low of $200 to more than $66,000 from one of the clients.
- The US Attorney said that on each of the 240 times he transferred funds, withdrew cash or wrote checks for his own benefit, Houston betrayed the trust that had been placed in him.
- Houston was sentenced to one year and a day in prison and $256,336 in restitution. The case was investigated by the SSA Office of Inspector General and the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office.
Why this case matters
It is a professional version of the scheme. Houston was not a relative but the operator of a guardianship business for disabled and vulnerable adults. The US Attorney called it both a fraud on the federal benefits system and a fraud on the court that appointed him.
Chosen because the theft would not show
The release says Houston targeted clients with significant income or resources so that the theft was less likely to be detected. The amounts varied widely, from $200 to more than $66,000 from one client, across 21 clients. The release counts 240 occasions on which he moved money.
The caveat
Houston pleaded guilty and has been sentenced, so the conduct above is taken from the US Attorney’s account of the plea agreement, as reproduced by the SSA’s Office of the Inspector General. Only some of the clients, at least 13, were beneficiaries for whom he was the Social Security representative payee; the others were clients whose accounts he accessed as guardian. This page does not describe any client.
Sources
- Kitsap County guardian sentenced to one year in prison for stealing more than $250,000 from elderly and disabled clients. Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General (reproducing a US Attorney's Office, Western District of Washington release). Accessed 2026-10-20. Supports: Every fact above: Houston's guardianship business and its clients, the 13 clients for whom he was payee, the checks and ATM withdrawals from 2010, the targeting of clients with significant income, the 21 clients and the range of thefts, the 240 transfers, and the sentence and restitution.