Nurse’s license is revoked for financial exploitation of home-health patient

State regulators have revoked the license of a home-health nurse due to the financial exploitation of an elderly patient with dementia.

Earlier this year, the Iowa Board of Nursing charged 51-year-old licensed practical nurse Danielle Renee Wilson, also known as Danielle Rainey, with committing an act that might adversely affect a patient’s welfare; committing an act that causes injury to a patient; misappropriating the property of a patient; misappropriating money from a patient; and engaging in a relationship with a former patient when there is a risk of exploitation or harm to the patient.

The board alleges Wilson, who has lived in Altoona and Carlisle, worked for Angels Care Home Health and provided nursing services for an elderly woman named Patricia from December 2023 through May 2024. At the time, Patricia’s diagnoses included diabetes, chronic pain syndrome, obesity, congestive heart failure, arthritis, anxiety, atrial fibrillation and major depressive disorder.

In June 2025, the board received a complaint alleging Wilson had maintained contact with Patricia after home health services were discontinued and that Wilson had engaged in a personal relationship that resulted in financial exploitation.

According to the board, an investigation revealed that on June 12, 2024, Wilson became Patricia’s power of attorney, and was also executor of the woman’s will, and was named trustee of a trust that was created in Patricia’s name, and was nominated as the woman’s conservator and guardian.

According to the board, in January 2025, Wilson persuaded Patricia to sell her home in Pleasant Hill and purchase a new home in Mitchellville. Patricia paid $240,000 for the new home, after which Wilson, along with her spouse and two children, moved into the new home with Patricia, the board alleges.

The board asserts that Patricia’s financial information and resources were repeatedly used by Wilson and her husband, Chad, to acquire items unrelated to Patricia’s care. The transactions included nearly $40,000 in purchases related to a lawn care business owned by Danielle Wilson and operated by Chad Wilson, as well as a small, $400 motorbike that was utilized by one of the Wilsons’ children, and multiple transactions – some made out of state — at TopGolf, Menards, restaurants and gas stations.

The board alleges that medical records show that on May 1, 2025, Patricia, then age 78, completed a mental-competency examination that was indicative of dementia or severe cognitive impairment.

When interviewed by state officials and law enforcement officers, Patricia allegedly indicated she was unaware that she owned the home in Mitchellville and thought it belonged to Wilson. When asked about some of the transactions on her account, Patricia indicated she had not been to TopGolf but knew Wilson and her spouse went there.

Criminal charges lead to plea deal

State records indicate U.S. Postal Inspector Nicholas Kuehn investigated the matter and obtained multiple search warrants for Patricia’s financial records, saw the motorbike at the Mitchellville home, and later testified before the board that Patricia was not physically capable of playing golf or operating lawn equipment or the motorbike.

In August 2025, a Polk County judge determined dependent adult abuse had occurred and that Patricia was in need of protection. Her financial accounts were frozen at that time, and state officials were authorized to pay expenses on her behalf as needed.

On Aug. 29, 2025, Patricia was moved into an assisted living facility, and on Nov. 7, 2025, a dependent adult protective services assessment was completed by the state, which resulted in a determination that the complaint of dependent adult abuse through financial exploitation had been deemed to be founded.

Board records indicate that when interviewed by investigators, Wilson said it was Patricia’s idea to buy a new home so she could live with the Wilsons, and she denied asking Patricia to update her will or power of attorney. Regarding the purchases, Wilson allegedly stated her husband had purchased a lot of things with Patricia’s money without either woman’s knowledge.

When interviewed by investigators, Danielle Wilson allegedly admitted she was still in contact with Patricia and was regularly visiting her at the assisted living center.

In its recent, written ruling revoking Danielle Wilson’s nursing license, the board stated that Patricia’s “money was repeatedly used for items she clearly had no ability to use, including approximately $40,000 in lawn care equipment, a mini motorbike, and multiple visits to TopGolf. (Wilson’s) testimony that (Patricia) was the driver of their personal relationship and living arrangement, if true, does not excuse the clear boundary violation under the board’s rules. (Wilson) continued an inappropriate personal relationship with a client, which caused them significant financial harm.”

According to the board, Danielle Wilson is now on the state’s registry of abusers of dependent adults.

Court records show Danielle and Chad Wilson were each criminally charged with dependent adult abuse and financial exploitation of an older individual. As part of plea deals with Polk County prosecutors, the state agreed to dismiss the charges of financial exploitation of an older individual in exchange for guilty pleas on the dependent adult abuse charges, with the understanding they would seek deferred judgments on the latter charge.

In October, the two were awarded the deferred judgments, which will result in the convictions being expunged from their records after the successful completion of two years’ probation and the payment of civil penalties of $1,025 each.

Prosecutors on Tuesday asked the court to amend its sentencing orders in both criminal cases to require the payment of victim restitution in the amount of $50,000.

The Iowa Capital Dispatch was not able to reach Danielle or Chad Wilson regarding the board action and criminal cases.