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Aretha Franklin alleged she was cheated out of $178K just before her death: authorities

Aretha Franklin alleged she was cheated out of $178K just before her death: authorities - image
Carlos Osorio/AP

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Authorities in suburban Detroit are investigating whether someone cheated singer Aretha Franklin by cashing a $178,000 cheque before her death last August.

READ MORE: Aretha Franklin’s attorney says $3 million in back taxes paid to IRS since her death

Oakland County chief assistant prosecutor Paul Walton says Franklin filed a complaint with Bloomfield Township police in June about a missing cheque. She died weeks later of pancreatic cancer at age 76.

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Walton told The Detroit News that Franklin’s death has affected the investigation. He says it’s been “difficult to determine” if she gave the cheque to someone who actually had permission to cash it.

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He says police have talked to the person who cashed the check. He declined to release a name.

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Walton says the check could become a separate issue for lawyers, family members and creditors involved in Franklin’s estate in Oakland County court.

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