Woman Stole $78K From Great Aunt In Warren: NJAG

WARREN, NJ — A Pennsylvania woman is accused of stealing $78,000 from a great aunt with dementia in Warren, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said.

Deanna Attinello, 23, of Easton, Pennsylvania was charged with second-degree misapplication of entrusted property and theft by failure to make a required disposition of property in connection with the funds missing from her 86-year-old relative's bank account.

“Financial abuse of the elderly is a despicable crime all too often committed by family members who mask their nefarious motives under a cloak of familial duty,” said Attorney General Grewal. “We allege that the defendant shamelessly exploited her position as her aunt’s trusted guardian to raid the woman’s bank account for own her personal use.”

Attinello was granted legal guardianship of her aunt in January 2017, after the woman was diagnosed with dementia, and was given access to the woman's bank accounts to pay for a long-term care facility in Warren, Grewal said. She allegedly began withdrawing large amounts of cash within days of being appointed guardian, and wrote large checks to herself, her boyfriend, and her father.

Within four months, the elderly woman was left with just under $26,000.

“The defendant’s alleged actions were not only criminal, they were unimaginably cruel because the stolen funds were intended to ensure her elderly aunt would be properly cared for as she suffered the ravages of dementia,” said Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Christopher Iu. “We will continue to protect New Jersey’s most vulnerable citizens by investigating and bringing charges against those who prey on them in institutional settings.”

If convicted, Atinello faces up to ten years in state prison and up to $15,000 in fines.

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