A former attorney who founded a firm to handle claims of elder abuse, fraud and unfair business practices then became the alleged victim of a woman who professed her love to her in an attempt to rob her of more than $1 million.

That’s the allegation of local and state investigators against the woman accused of the crime, Diane Elizabeth Eglise-Beam, 57, of Houston.  Eglise-Beam appeared Monday, April 6, in Lincoln County District Court for arraignment on a felony count of exploiting an incapacitated person or vulnerable adult. She pleaded not guilty to the offense.

District Judge Matt Cuffe scheduled an omnibus hearing for May 11 and a pre-trial conference for July 20. A trial would not occur before September.

Court records indicate the defendant posted $75,000 bail April 1. As part of her conditions of release, Eglise-Beam had to surrender her passport.

County attorney Marcia Boris is prosecuting the case and DOJ Elder Justice Unit prosecutor Angie Rolando is assisting while Nicholas B. Johnson, a member of the California firm Oberheiden, is defending Eglise-Beam. 

The extensive investigation spanned several states and multiple years led to the charges against the Texas woman accused of taking advantage of a vulnerable adult in a $1.3 million theft in Northwest Montana.

The investigation was led by Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Det. Dan Holskey and Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation Agent Christopher Benson.

A possible list of witnesses also indicates the complexity and range of the query, including residents from Montana, California, Florida and Virginia. 

The court filing indicates the alleged victim is a 70-year-old woman who used to work as an attorney before suffering a serious head injury in a motorcycle crash in 2016. The injury forced the woman to retire from her career after she had established a legal defense firm in 2006. She also suffered from other physical injuries and a diagnosed mental illness. 

Agent Benson reported the woman was dependent on a caregiver and vulnerable to exploitation. The woman then met Eglise-Beam in July 2019 through an online dating site and they began a romantic relationship. The alleged victim was living in Palm Desert, California at the time.

The court filing alleges Eglise-Beam convinced the woman to sell her California residence and law firm, liquidate her retirement accounts so she could move to Northwest Montana and buy property. The alleged victim bought a 63-acre property with a residence and other buildings in September 2019 in Rexford. The purchase price was $769,000.

The couple committed to living together and the victim agreed to put both their names as joint tenants with the right of survivorship on the Rexford property deed.

Investigators say Eglise-Beam didn’t own a home at the time, had few assets and vehicles and not much cash.

Then, in August 2020, the defendant allegedly persuaded the woman to grant her general durable power of attorney. The woman said Eglise-Beam was then able to take money from her bank accounts, Individual Retirement Accounts and money after the woman sold her law firm. The woman also said the defendant convinced her to deed the Rexford property to her.

The alleged victim then filed a lawsuit in September 2020 to recover the title to the Rexford property. The suit was settled in October 2020 and in December, Eglise-Beam deeded the property back to the victim.

But investigators allege that Eglise-Beam was not done manipulating the woman and convinced her to deed the property back to her, which occurred in March 2021. The alleged victim said Eglise-Beam returned to the Rexford property early in 2021 and professed her love to the woman. She also said she wanted to live and work with the woman for the rest of their lives.

The alleged victim relented and allowed Eglise-Beam to move back in with her. In April 2021, investigators allege the defendant drove the victim back to California, dropped her off at a retirement home, leaving the woman with few assets.

The woman continued her fight to recover her property when she hired a law firm. A lawyer, who was not specifically identified, was supposed to record a notice of “lis pendens” with the Lincoln County Clerk and Recorder, but never did.

A lis pendens is a recorded notice of pending litigation concerning real property, designed to warn potential buyers or lenders that the property is subject to a lawsuit. It prevents the transfer or refinancing of the property until the legal dispute is resolved.

Without the notice, Eglise-Beam sold the Rexford property to other buyers May 25, 2021, for $1.4 million. Agent Benson reported the defendant netted $1.3 million in the sale.

The alleged victim did not give up her fight to reclaim the money from the sale of the Rexford property and hired another law firm. She also sought to get compensation from the law firm that failed to record the “lis pendens” notice.

The new law firm traced the sale of the Rexford property and learned Eglise-Beam had created a limited liability company (LLC). The company bought land in Ravalli County, Montana with the money from the Rexford sale. The LLC was named “Great Northern Wilderness LLC” and had an address in Houston, Texas. Its registered agent was a lawyer in Whitefish, who was also not identified in the charging document.

On Aug. 5, 2021, the LLC received a deed to a home on a 20-acre parcel near Darby. Agent Benson said it appeared Eglise-Beam used the money from the Rexford sale to buy the Darby property and used the LLC to hide the transaction.

The alleged victim’s lawyer discovered Eglise-Beam’s actions and compelled her to give the Darby property to the woman, according to the court filing. A settlement was reached in June 2023 with the defendant deeding the land to the former attorney.

A conviction on the offense may result in a 10-year term in the Montana State Prison.