FAIRMONT — A Fairmont man is facing multiple felony charges in Fairmont.

Jamie Richard Kueker, 49, has been charged with one count of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult in excess of $5,000, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

He is also charged with three counts of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult exceeding $1,000 but less than $5,000, each of which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

According to the complaint:

On Dec. 13, a Fairmont police officer received a phone call from St. Louis County adult protection investigator saying she had received a report stating that Kueker had been withdrawing money from the account of his vulnerable adult son and using it for his own financial gain. The investigator explained that the son had been living at the Hermantown Crisis Home for about two years.

When he moved to Hermantown, Kueker had opened a checking account and wanted it set up so that he would be able to write checks and assist with the account. The son’s Social Security checks are deposited into the account.

The investigator had a telephone conference with Kueker on Dec. 16, at which time Kueker acknowledged he had removed about $11,000 from his son’s account. Kueker said he started borrowing money from his son’s account and it just spiraled out of control. He offered to pay the money back.

On Dec. 26, the investigator provided the officer with various documents, including a spreadsheet that showed that Kueker had withdrawn $14,685 during the time period of Jan. 1, 2018, through Nov. 6, 2019. From this amount, $4,853 was either sent to his son or spent on his behalf. The balance of $9,832 was kept by Kueker for his own personal use.

On Dec. 30, the officer interviewed Kueker at the Martin County Law Enforcement Center. Kueker admitted to making numerous cash withdrawals from his son’s bank account and using the money to provide for his family. He said he would now put $10,000 into his son’s account to repay the money he had removed.

According to the investigator’s probe, there were multiple periods of time between Jan. 19, 2018, and Nov. 6, 2019, that Kueker had withdrawn amounts in excess of what had been sent to his son for those periods of time.