NEWS RELEASE
MICHIGAN STATE POLICE
*************************
HOUGHTON COUNTY — Defendant Jason Heikkinen was sentenced yesterday in the 12th Circuit Court in Houghton for his charge of Embezzlement- Person in a Relationship of Trust with a Vulnerable Adult. The Michigan State Police (MSP) Calumet Post began this investigation in 2023.
47-year-old Jason Heikkinen from Dollar Bay, Michigan had been a car salesman at a Houghton area car dealership. He developed a relationship with an elderly woman over the years while selling her cars. After the woman was placed in a nursing home, her bills were being managed by a financial institution, which eventually stopped handling them. With no nearby family to assist her, Heikkinen became her conservator, responsible for managing her finances for a small fee. However, Heikkinen took advantage of the situation. Heikkinen was able to put her house in his name, her portfolio in his name, and was selling her personal property.
The situation came to light when her bank account, which had approximately a $70,000 balance, quickly dwindled down to nearly nothing. The bank manager noticed and alerted MSP, leading to an investigation that revealed Heikkinen had spent over $130,000 of the elderly woman’s funds and sold her personal property without anyone’s knowledge or permission to do so.
Following a plea agreement, Heikkinen was sentenced on 2/24/2025. The sentence includes a 180-day jail sentence, with credit for 1 day served, requiring 89 days to be served immediately. The remaining 90 days will be served if probation is violated. Heikkinen was also sentenced to 24 months of probation and must pay restitution in the amount of $179,250.
*************************
