SAINT PAUL — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has filed three felony charges against a Chippewa County man accused of financially exploiting his 81-year-old mother over the course of more than a year, allegedly draining her accounts, leaving her nursing home bills unpaid, and using her money for his own expenses — including his property taxes.
Steven Berg, aged 54, faces three felony charges for the financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult, as stated in a criminal complaint submitted on Monday by Ellison’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU). This case was initially referred to Ellison’s office by Chippewa County Attorney Matthew Haugen back in July.
Investigators report that Berg served as power of attorney and co-signer on his mother’s accounts while she resided at Luther Haven Nursing Home in Montevideo. Between February 2024 and March 2025, it is alleged that he drained over $90,000 from her financial accounts, executing more than 100 cash withdrawals during the spring and summer of 2024 alone. While Berg purportedly misappropriated his mother’s funds, her medical and nursing home expenses — exceeding $90,000 — remained largely unpaid.
Three Felony Counts Filed
The detailed criminal complaint lays out three distinct periods of alleged exploitation:
- Count I alleges Berg used undue influence, harassment, or duress to take $7,710.66 from his mother’s new bank account between September 2024 and March 2025 — after he had already been removed as a co-signer on her original accounts.
- Count II alleges that from May 1 to September 12, 2024, Berg, in breach of his fiduciary duty, diverted more than $35,000 of his mother’s assets while failing to pay $53,343.62 in accumulating nursing home and medical costs.
- Count III alleges that between February 1 and April 30, 2024, Berg misappropriated another $36,740.96, again failing to use the funds for his mother’s care.
If convicted, Berg faces up to 20 years in prison on the most serious charges and fines of up to $100,000.
The complaint calculates Berg’s total alleged exploitation at $97,795.24.
Investigators Describe Pattern of Withdrawals, Misuse of Funds
The investigation began after Luther Haven staff discovered significant unpaid bills and a pattern of large cash withdrawals from the victim’s accounts. Staff contacted Montevideo Police in August 2024 after reviewing bank records obtained while assisting the victim with a Medicaid application.
According to the complaint, Berg routinely arranged for transportation services to bring his mother — who suffered memory issues, had recently been hospitalized after a fall, and required extensive daily assistance — from the nursing home to the local bank, where he would meet her and withdraw thousands in cash. In one incident from March 2025, investigators say Berg withdrew nearly $7,000 from her new account, directing the funds to reimburse himself and to pay his own property taxes.
In another incident four days later, a driver transporting M.B. to the bank reported that when asked who Berg was, she replied, “my master.”
Bank employees eventually intervened, helping M.B. open a new account without Berg’s access. Social Security also halted direct deposits into the disputed joint account. But investigators allege Berg continued to exploit his mother financially even after losing formal access.
Berg admitted to police in an August 2024 interview that he had used some of the withdrawn funds on himself but refused to specify how much, according to the complaint. At one point, he told an officer, “well lock me up, get it over with.”
Attorney General Ellison: “Appalling Betrayal of Trust”
Attorney General Ellison condemned the alleged conduct in announcing the charges.
“Everyone deserves to afford their lives and live with dignity, safety, and respect,” Ellison said. “The financial exploitation of vulnerable adults causes severe financial harm that threatens those adults’ ability to keep a roof over their heads, pay medical bills, and so much more. Steven Berg’s theft from and betrayal of his own mother is appalling, and my office and I will do everything in our power to ensure he faces justice.”
House Sold to Cover Debts
By early 2025, the mother’s accounts were nearly empty and her nursing home warned she could lose her housing. At the urging of staff, Berg listed her Montevideo home for sale. When it sold in March 2025, more than $109,000 of the proceeds went directly to the nursing home to cover unpaid bills. The remaining funds were deposited into her new account — from which Berg allegedly resumed withdrawals within days.
After those withdrawals, the bank closed the account and Luther Haven became her representative payee.
Berg is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
