In the weeks after his death, Rudolph fell victim to a scam that drained from money she had set aside to restore her home.
A Pacific Palisades widow who was displaced by last year’s wildfire is facing another setback after hackers stole nearly $28,000 she had saved to repair her damaged home, friends say.
Ellen Rudolph’s home was badly damaged in the January 2025 Palisades fire, forcing her and her husband, Steve Lewis, to move into an apartment while they waited to begin repairs. Four months after relocating, Lewis was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died Oct. 6, leaving Rudolph to navigate the rebuilding process on her own.
In the weeks following his death, Rudolph fell victim to what friends described as a scam that drained about $28,000 from her savings — money she had set aside to restore her home and return to the community she and her husband had built their life in.
The loss has compounded a year of upheaval marked by disaster and grief.
Rudolph’s friends have launched a GoFundMe campaign titled “Rebuilding Ellen’s Life After Tragedy” to help her recover the stolen funds and continue repairs.
As of this week, the fundraiser had raised $28,330 toward a $35,000 goal, according to the campaign page. Individual donations listed on the page include $500 from Mike Castillo and $200 from Sheelagh Cullen.
“What they loved most wasn’t the house — it was the place they called home,” the fundraising page states.
