Man's identity paid for others' bills

'Very easy targets' to be victimizedWhile acquaintance used it for heart bypass, caregiver bought house, vehicles and more

September 18, 2008|By Joel Hood and Stacy St. Clair, TRIBUNE REPORTERS

Philip Johnson sits at home watching "Jeopardy," unequipped to understand the peril to his health and home caused by people doing business in his name.

A month ago, the mentally disabled man made headlines when his identity was used by a man desperate to pay for heart bypass surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Joliet police charged John Parsons, 57, an ex-con from Oak Park, with felony identity theft for racking up close to $350,000 in medical bills in Johnson's name.

Police consider the case closed, but a review of public documents suggests that the wrongs against Johnson may run deeper than the heart surgery. A Tribune investigation found that for at least the last four years, Johnson's identity has been used by two convicted felons who ruined his good credit and left him with an unstable future.

Legal documents and land records show that Johnson's own caretaker, Donald Zouras, used the disabled man's identity to purchase and twice refinance the home they share in Joliet, buy two vehicles that Johnson cannot drive and take out equity from the house to buy a stake in a Mexican restaurant in South Bend, Ind.

And when Zouras and his wife, Mona Lisa Russell, were sued last year for back mortgage payments on the restaurant, records show that Johnson's name was used in covering part of the debt.

Zouras, 70, a friend of the now-jailed Parsons for 30-plus years, said in an interview that he used Johnson's name to purchase the home and the vehicles because he could not get financing with his spotty work record and criminal history. Zouras, who served 4 years in prison for a 1982 forcible-detention case, has active warrants for his arrest in Cook County and Kenosha County, Wis.

Zouras said he loves Johnson "like a brother" and that all of his financial maneuvers were made with Johnson's interest in mind. Zouras has not been charged with wrongdoing in the case.

Johnson, 57, expresses anger toward Parsons but not toward Zouras, whom he credits with helping keep him off the street.

Experts say emotional ties often complicate these types of cases. Fraud specialists and mental health advocates said what has happened to Johnson appears to be an example of financial exploitation, one that underscores the challenges in cases involving the vulnerable.

"People with intellectual disabilities are much the same as elderly who are on their own. Life can be awfully lonely, and they sometimes latch on to anyone for companionship," said Tony Paulauski, executive director for The ARC of Illinois. "This makes people with disabilities prime targets for victimization. Very easy targets."

Johnson, by his own description, lives in a very small world. There's no job and little contact with family. His pastimes are helping with chores at Zouras' restaurant and watching "Jeopardy."

The soft-spoken Army veteran wants Parsons' punishment to be "the worst that can come to him" because he created financial hardship for Zouras and his wife.

In a jailhouse interview, Parsons admitted stealing Johnson's identity to pay for his surgery.

"I used his identity because my heart was failing," he said. "Donald Zouras bought a house under his name. If anyone is abusing Philip Johnson, it's Donald Zouras."

Zouras said Johnson agreed to put the house in his name, while Parsons' actions put the family in financial turmoil. He said Medicare froze Johnson's account and prevented him from receiving treatment for an infected leg wound.

Medical bills for the heart treatment wrecked Johnson's credit, making it difficult for Zouras -- using Johnson's name -- to refinance the home's adjustable-rate mortgage and avoid foreclosure, Zouras said.

What that might mean for Johnson is unclear, Zouras said. "Wherever we go, he'll go," he said.

The law does not require background checks or licensing for caregivers but instead encourages mentally challenged adults to choose the person with whom they are most comfortable.

"Unfortunately, a very small number of prosecutions go forward when the victim is someone with a disability because it's sometimes difficult to get their cooperation," said Deborah Kennedy, an abuse investigator with the non-profit group Equip for Equality.

Johnson's finances are overseen by a convicted felon who authorities say used at least 15 aliases over the years. Zouras, who has a record of assault, armed robbery and pandering, was convicted in 1982 of beating an exotic dancer who helped a 16-year-old prostitute escape his control.

How they met

Johnson and Zouras met 15 years ago while living in Berwyn. After losing his housekeeping job at a hospital and being evicted from his apartment, Johnson became a regular at a bar where Russell, Zouras' wife, worked. Zouras said he instantly took a liking to the warmhearted man and even arranged for him to sleep on the barroom stage at night. Soon after, Zouras and Russell invited Johnson to move in with them and helped him apply for disability benefits and Medicare.