An 80-year-old Pennsylvania woman, Susan Larkin, is accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a 75-year-old man with dementia after allegedly gaining power of attorney over him, according to the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office.Alleged financial abuse and isolationAuthorities say Larkin spent years taking money from the man, whom she was supposed to be caring for, while keeping his family away.Investigators allege that Larkin met the man online and that he moved from Alaska to Pittsburgh in 2023 to be closer to his children. Detectives say he ultimately moved in with Larkin, which is when the alleged crimes began. According to court documents, Larkin secretly took over as the man’s power of attorney and prevented his children from attending his doctor’s appointments.District Attorney Stephen Zappala said this was Larkin’s way of hiding the man’s deteriorating mental state to gain access to his finances.Nearly $1 million in question“The numbers that I saw initially were close to $1 million. The gentleman is 75 years old. He was in the early stages of dementia. A woman gets his confidence, transfers a payment from his son to her own account,” Zappala said. Court papers allege Larkin used the man’s money for personal expenses and withdrew $220,000 from his account when detectives claim she realized his children were becoming suspicious. “The criminals just work at this all the time. Powers of attorney are about trust. Guardianships are about trust. And when you’re older, I mean, and you trust somebody, that’s what we see. That’s senior abuse by definition,” Zappala said. The man’s children have since regained power of attorney and moved their father out of Larkin’s home, but investigators are still tracking the missing funds. Defense denies allegationsLarkin’s attorney, Phil DiLucente, denies the allegations, claiming his client was caring for the man and that the two were in a relationship. “My client loves this man greatly, has been with him for numerous years, and to now be attacked like this. I’m very, very disappointed. I really am,” DiLucente said. Susan Larkin is charged with several crimes, including theft and access device fraud. She is free on a non-monetary bond and is scheduled to appear in court in July.
ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. —
An 80-year-old Pennsylvania woman, Susan Larkin, is accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a 75-year-old man with dementia after allegedly gaining power of attorney over him, according to the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office.
Alleged financial abuse and isolation
Authorities say Larkin spent years taking money from the man, whom she was supposed to be caring for, while keeping his family away.
Investigators allege that Larkin met the man online and that he moved from Alaska to Pittsburgh in 2023 to be closer to his children. Detectives say he ultimately moved in with Larkin, which is when the alleged crimes began.
According to court documents, Larkin secretly took over as the man’s power of attorney and prevented his children from attending his doctor’s appointments.
District Attorney Stephen Zappala said this was Larkin’s way of hiding the man’s deteriorating mental state to gain access to his finances.
Nearly $1 million in question
“The numbers that I saw initially were close to $1 million. The gentleman is 75 years old. He was in the early stages of dementia. A woman gets his confidence, transfers a payment from his son to her own account,” Zappala said.
Court papers allege Larkin used the man’s money for personal expenses and withdrew $220,000 from his account when detectives claim she realized his children were becoming suspicious.
“The criminals just work at this all the time. Powers of attorney are about trust. Guardianships are about trust. And when you’re older, I mean, and you trust somebody, that’s what we see. That’s senior abuse by definition,” Zappala said.
The man’s children have since regained power of attorney and moved their father out of Larkin’s home, but investigators are still tracking the missing funds.
Defense denies allegations
Larkin’s attorney, Phil DiLucente, denies the allegations, claiming his client was caring for the man and that the two were in a relationship.
“My client loves this man greatly, has been with him for numerous years, and to now be attacked like this. I’m very, very disappointed. I really am,” DiLucente said.
Susan Larkin is charged with several crimes, including theft and access device fraud. She is free on a non-monetary bond and is scheduled to appear in court in July.