A Big Horn County woman has received a 10-year deferred imposition of sentence and was ordered to pay more than $101,000 in restitution after being convicted of financially exploiting her elderly mother and stepfather, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced.
The case marks the first conviction investigated and prosecuted by the Montana Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Unit, which was permanently established by the Montana Legislature in 2023 at the request of Knudsen to combat abuse and exploitation of seniors.
Kristel Marie Blair was convicted in August 2025 on two counts of exploitation of an older person or incapacitated person, as both victims were over the age of 65 at the time the crimes were committed.
