Bemidji Man Charged with Embezzling Nearly $13,000 from Elderly Relative

Daniel Bliss has been charged in Beltrami County District Court with two felony counts of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult after investigators say he admitted taking nearly $13,000 from a relative who lives in a Bemidji assisted living facility, authorities announced March 5, 2026. The complaint follows an investigation that began in July 2025 when facility staff alerted the Bemidji Police Department about the resident’s unpaid bills.

Staff at the assisted living facility told police the woman, described in court records as a vulnerable adult in her 90s, was approximately $50,000 behind on bills. Court records in the case say the resident has “a number of medical issues” and was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2023, and that Bliss had been responsible for handling her finances.

A Bemidji Police detective and an Adult Protection Investigator met with Bliss during the inquiry, and he admitted using the woman’s money for personal expenses, according to the criminal filing. Investigators say Bliss used the funds to pay his own credit card bill, cover utility payments, purchase food at local restaurants, buy a generator and send checks to his ex-wife.

A bank-account review included in the court file lists specific transactions attributed to Bliss: $993 for food, $2,407 for utilities, $3,928 sent to his ex-wife and $5,567 paid on his credit card, which sum to $12,895. Court records list the total amount embezzled as $12,896, creating a $1 discrepancy between the itemized transactions and the stated total in the complaint.

Beltrami County prosecutors filed the two-count felony complaint charging “financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult.” The complaint notes statutory maximum penalties that include 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine for each count. The filing does not include the victim’s name, and court records and the assisted living facility documentation identify her only as a vulnerable adult in her 90s.

The case underscores growing concerns about financial abuse of elders in local care settings, where unpaid resident accounts can reach tens of thousands of dollars and strain facility operations. In Bemidji, staff action in July 2025 led to a police investigation that produced the March 5 charging announcement, and the matter will proceed through Beltrami County District Court.

Next steps in the case will follow the county court schedule; the complaint establishes the allegations and the bank-transaction review that investigators say tie nearly $13,000 of the woman’s funds to Bliss’s personal expenses. The criminal filing and the facility’s referral to police illustrate how financial exploitation and gaps in oversight can jeopardize both individual care and the fiscal standing of long-term care providers.