Mel Spillman
Encyclopedia
Mel Spillman is an American
probate
clerk and fraud
ster who transferred properties of dead people to his own accounts.
Spillman lived in San Antonio, Texas
. In the 1970s he was begun to work as a clerk in Bexar County
courthouse. In the 1980s he began to work as a probate consultant in the medical examiner's office, handling funeral
arrangements and other affairs of people who had died without heirs. His job was to sell off the property of the deceased and turn to proceeds over to the state. His coworkers knew him as a jovial man.
Spillman lived in a lavish house and seemed fond of Ferrari
s. He bought five of them and raced in racing events all over the USA. He even started his own racing team and had his own Formula One
racing car. He said that he had inherited money from dead relatives.
In fact, Spillman stole money from the estates of dead people. He forged documents and turned the estate over to himself. When he sold the remaining property of the deceased, he did not turn the proceeds over to the state but transferred to money to himself. Sometimes he took over the house of the deceased and put it up for rent. In couple of cases he defrauded the real heirs with forged wills. He might also claim antiques and other items from the deceased's home for himself.
According to later police investigation, he began his forgeries around 1986. Over 15 years, Spillman stole over $5 million from estates of 122 people. His position was officially eliminated 1988 but he continued to do the job. Spillman retired 1999 but said he would continue his work as a private consultant.
In 2001 one of the probate judges notice that Spillman's name was listed on papers that could not be tracked through official channels. Other papers listed Spillman as a court administrator.
Spillman was arrested in July 2002 in a sting operation
when he left a bank with $900 from a liquidated estate. Investigators found records of the forged wills and defrauded estates in his home. They included real wills Spillman has ignored for his own benefit and papers and mementos from the estates he had drained.
Spillman was charged with tampering with government records, impersonating a public servant and forgery
. In 2002, he pled guilty to fraud and was sentenced to ten years in state prison. His sister also pled guilty in pillaging one estate. He was parolled in 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
probate
Probate
Probate is the legal process of administering the estate of a deceased person by resolving all claims and distributing the deceased person's property under the valid will. A probate court decides the validity of a testator's will...
clerk and fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
ster who transferred properties of dead people to his own accounts.
Spillman lived in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. In the 1970s he was begun to work as a clerk in Bexar County
Bexar County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,392,931 people, 488,942 households, and 345,681 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,117 people per square mile . There were 521,359 housing units at an average density of 418 per square mile...
courthouse. In the 1980s he began to work as a probate consultant in the medical examiner's office, handling funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
arrangements and other affairs of people who had died without heirs. His job was to sell off the property of the deceased and turn to proceeds over to the state. His coworkers knew him as a jovial man.
Spillman lived in a lavish house and seemed fond of Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
s. He bought five of them and raced in racing events all over the USA. He even started his own racing team and had his own Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
racing car. He said that he had inherited money from dead relatives.
In fact, Spillman stole money from the estates of dead people. He forged documents and turned the estate over to himself. When he sold the remaining property of the deceased, he did not turn the proceeds over to the state but transferred to money to himself. Sometimes he took over the house of the deceased and put it up for rent. In couple of cases he defrauded the real heirs with forged wills. He might also claim antiques and other items from the deceased's home for himself.
According to later police investigation, he began his forgeries around 1986. Over 15 years, Spillman stole over $5 million from estates of 122 people. His position was officially eliminated 1988 but he continued to do the job. Spillman retired 1999 but said he would continue his work as a private consultant.
In 2001 one of the probate judges notice that Spillman's name was listed on papers that could not be tracked through official channels. Other papers listed Spillman as a court administrator.
Spillman was arrested in July 2002 in a sting operation
Sting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
when he left a bank with $900 from a liquidated estate. Investigators found records of the forged wills and defrauded estates in his home. They included real wills Spillman has ignored for his own benefit and papers and mementos from the estates he had drained.
Spillman was charged with tampering with government records, impersonating a public servant and forgery
Forgery
Forgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
. In 2002, he pled guilty to fraud and was sentenced to ten years in state prison. His sister also pled guilty in pillaging one estate. He was parolled in 2008.