WARREN Woman is accused of lying, forgery to take trust money

WARREN -- A woman in charge of helping to oversee a severely disabled girl's trust fund is being accused by the bank of lying and forging signatures to take nearly $39,000.
Bank One Trust Company, of Warren, is seeking to get the money, as well as punitive damages and legal fees, in a lawsuit filed Thursday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
On panel: Anita M. Davis, whose addresses are listed in court documents as 760 Main Ave. S.W. and 1745 Milton Street S.E., was on the three-person board that oversaw expenditures from a trust fund established in 1993 to pay for the care of Cecelia Rogers, who is now 16.
The trust fund, administered by Bank One, was set up with $275,000 to pay for medical, rehabilitative and other services for Cecelia, who requires round-the-clock care.
The three-person trust advisory committee had discretion over when and how the money would be spent.
The lawsuit alleges that Davis lied to the bank and forged the signatures from the other two board members on paperwork authorizing payment from the trust for services as a "case facilitator."
Her pay: According to the bank, Davis was paid $1,000 a week, for 40 hours of service at the rate of $25 an hour, beginning in Sept. 2000.
She also instructed the bank to also pay her for other services from time to time without the knowledge of the other trustees, the lawsuit says.
Davis said she has not been served with a lawsuit and knows nothing about it.