A Montana fraudster who took possession of another woman’s residence in north Lincoln County on two different occasions was sentenced Monday, Aug. 3, in district court.

Diane Elizabeth Eglise-Beam, 57, of Wolf Creek, Montana, initially pleaded not guilty April 6 in Lincoln County District Court on a felony count of exploiting an incapacitated person or vulnerable adult. She posted $75,000 bail April 1. 

Eglise-Beam pleaded no contest June 15 to the felony charge. She appeared via Zoom for the hearing from Houston because she is currently being treated for cancer at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

That information was revealed in a May 5 court filing when Judge Cuffe issued an order that permitted the defendant to travel for treatment, which she is still undergoing.

At the defendant's sentencing, District Judge Matt Cuffe delivered a 6-year deferred term and a $5,000 fine which were part of a negotiated plea deal. 

The defendant, her attorney, Nicholas Johnson, and state prosecutor Angie Rolando each appeared via video while county attorney Marcia Boris appeared in person.

Eglise-Beam objected to other fines and fees that could have been imposed during sentencing because she said she is living on a fixed disability income of $2,925 per month.

The 70-year-old victim is a former attorney who founded a firm in 2006 in California to handle claims of elder abuse, fraud and unfair business practices. But she then became the victim of Eglise-Beam, who professed her love in an attempt to rob her of more than $1 million.

The extensive investigation, which spanned several states and multiple years, led to the charges against Eglise-Beam. Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Det. Dan Holskey and Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation Agent Christopher Benson led the query.

The victim suffered a serious head injury in a motorcycle crash in 2016. The injury forced the woman to retire from her career. 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, living in Palm Desert, California at the time, met Eglise-Beam in July 2019 through an online dating site and they began a romantic relationship.

The court filing alleged 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 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 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 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 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 quest 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 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 back to the former attorney.