RICHFIELD, Minn. — An Eagan man is accused of swindling at least $320,000 from his elderly mother and using the money to feed a lavish lifestyle.

Forth-six-year-old Ward Allen Knutson told police his 86-year-old mother had given him permission to oversee her investments in 1999. Family members say the mother had assets worth between $3 million and $4 million at some point.

Police say Doris Lavonne Knutson was “essentially broke” in 2010, and that her accounts had been emptied “through mismanagement and theft.”

Ward Knutson is charged with felony swindling, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He declined comment to the Minneapolis Star Tribune (http://bit.ly/sasz3K ).

Relatives say Knutson used the money to pay for trips to golf resorts and spa sessions, limousine services and phone sex.