A woman who used the personal money of an elderly woman with dementia for her own personal benefit has been sentenced for the crime.
Susanna DiFranco, 53, illegally obtained a debit card from the 77-year-old victim’s bank and, in the span of a month, spent more than $70,000 on things like a trip to Las Vegas, credit cards and clothes.
“When the bank questioned Difranco about the money she was withdrawing from the victim’s account, Difranco provided a notarized statement to the bank in which she lied and said she was keeping the money in a safe deposit box on behalf of the victim,” a statement from the Alaska U.S. District Attorney’s office said.
She pleaded guilty to wire fraud and access device fraud in October, and was sentenced Wednesday to serve 18 months in a halfway house.
Difranco also has two protective orders against her to prevent her from defrauding her two elderly parents, Harry and Yoshiko Wilkins.
