A Greybull woman accused of siphoning more than $155,000 from her elderly parents over the course of a decade is headed to felony-level District Court.
Following a preliminary hearing Wednesday afternoon, a criminal case against 52-year-old Samantha Cook was bound over to Big Horn County District Court.
Circuit Court Judge Edward G. Luhm signed an order Thursday transferring four felony charges, including two counts of felony theft and two counts of exploiting a vulnerable adult.
Court records show Cook posted a $3,500 cash bond in May, which was exonerated on Thursday. She is represented by attorney Brigita Krisjansons.
If convicted on all four charges and ordered to serve consecutive sentences, Cook could face up to 40 years in prison.
Family Trust
The allegations first surfaced in April, when investigators accused Cook of systematically draining money from accounts belonging to her parents, both in their 80s.
The case centers on what authorities describe as a decade-long pattern of unauthorized spending that began after Cook's mother suffered a serious injury and the couple needed help managing their finances.
What started as assistance with paying bills allegedly evolved into Cook using her parents' debit cards, checking accounts and credit accounts for personal purchases, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in her case.
Investigators allege Cook's spending went far beyond everyday purchases, including Venmo payments to multiple people, gifts to relatives and mounting credit card balances.
The alleged losses eventually exceeded $155,000.
When confronted about how she managed the accounts, Cook admitted to investigators that she had "exclusive access" to her parents' accounts and did spend their money on "personal things," the affidavit says.
Small Charges, Big Total
The alleged spending ranged from relatively small purchases to major expenses spread across many years.
Investigators cited a refrigerator bought through a store credit account that eventually carried a balance of more than $8,000.
The affidavit further alleges Cook convinced her parents to cash out several certificates of deposit because they were running short on money, including a larger CD worth more than $24,000 that her father said was reserved exclusively for funeral and burial expenses.
The scheme began to unravel in March 2025 after Cook's father learned how to access his financial accounts online and started noticing charges he didn't recognize.
His suspicions deepened when the bank contacted him about a $300 bad check Cook had allegedly written on the account for pellet stove repairs.
After she admitted taking the money without permission and promised to repay it, the couple closed their accounts and opened new ones she could no longer access, the affidavit says.
District Court Next
The preliminary hearing did not determine guilt or innocence. Instead, the court's role was to decide whether prosecutors presented enough evidence to move the case forward.
Judge Luhm ultimately found probable cause on all four felony counts and ordered the matter transferred to District Court.
Cook's next appearance will be an arraignment in Big Horn County District Court, where she will be asked to enter pleas to the charges.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
