Putting the spotlight on elder abuse, an often hidden crime

Former career San Diego prosecutor Paul Greenwood will share his experiences gained from prosecuting serious elder abuse cases over a 22 year period.

He will talk about current trends, scams and other ways in which older adults have been exploited both physically and financially. Greenwood will also provide tips on how we can reduce the risk of becoming a victim of elder abuse.

Retired Deputy District Attorney Paul Greenwood was a solicitor in England for 13 years. After relocating to San Diego in 1991 he passed the California Bar and joined the DA’s office in 1993. For twenty two years Paul headed up the Elder Abuse Prosecution Unit at the San Diego DA’s Office. In 1999 California Lawyer magazine named Paul as one of their top 20 lawyers of the year in recognition of his pioneering efforts to pursue justice on behalf of senior citizens.
He has prosecuted over 750 felony cases of both physical, sexual, emotional and financial elder abuse. He has also prosecuted ten murder cases, including one death penalty case.
In March 2018 Paul retired from the San Diego DA’s office to concentrate on sharing lessons learned from his elder abuse prosecutions with a wider audience. In October 2018 he was given a lifetime achievement award by his former office.
Paul now spends much of his post retirement time speaking on behalf of AARP nationally, consulting on elder abuse cases and providing trainings to law enforcement and Adult Protective Services agencies across the country and internationally. He is also involved as the criminal justice board member of National Adult Protective Services Association.