Mother Convicted of Exploiting Disabled Son

A Carson City mother was given probation for reportedly turning a blind eye to her boyfriend's theft from family members, and misusing thousands of dollars donated to her handicapped son to stop the bank from re possessing his specially equipped van.

Virginia Dempsey, 46, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to abuse, exploit or isolate a vulnerable person. She was given up to three years' probation and a suspended jail sentence of one year.

In ex change for her guilty plea, the Carson City Dis trict Attorney's Office agreed not to pursue charges against Dempsey into money missing from her son's bank account, the plea agreement states.

According to court documents, Dempsey's son Jared, 20, is confined to a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy.

Dempsey's boyfriend, David Catalani, was arrested and convicted of stealing and pawning several items from Jared and his siblings. Catalani was sentenced in April to 12 to 32 months in prison on a charge of grand larceny.

During the course of that investigation, a deputy learned that Dempsey, who is appointed as Jared's guardian, used $7,000 of do nated money to bring payments up to date on the van. Another $11,000 in do nations was spent on various things, and some of the money had been withdrawn from a casino ATM, the report states.

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Mother Convicted of Exploiting Disabled Son