Woman sentenced to prison for scheme to steal millions from elderly

TRENTON — An Egg Harbor Township woman involved in a scheme to steal millions of dollars from senior citizens was sentenced Friday to three years in state prison, according to the state Attorney General's office.

Susan Hamlett, 57, of Egg Harbor Township, was an employee at A Better Choice, a senior care company in Atlantic County that offers life care, legal planning and financial planning for its clients.

Hamlett is one of five people involved in the case that have pleaded guilty to charges.

Between 2003 and 2012, former A Better Choice owner Jan Van Holt, 60, and her sister Sondra Steen, 61, both of Linwood, stole more than $2.7 million from 12 clients.

Hamlett, Van Holt and Steen were arrested with former county social worker William Price, 58, of Linwood, and attorney Barbara Lieberman, 64, of Northfield, after an investigation was conducted by New Jersey State Police and the Division of Criminal Justice.

Senior citizens were targeted if they had assets but no immediate family. Services like household chores, errands, driving, scheduling, budgeting and paying bills was handled by the service. Money taken from the bank accounts of victims was used by Van Holt and Steen for their own bills, pool supplies, Mercedes cars and lease payments for a condo in Florida.

The Camden County resident was a driver for the Moorestown School District.

"By stealing the life savings of elderly clients who had no family to look out for them, these defendants placed themselves among the lowest of con artists," said Attorney General Christopher Porrino, in a statement. "The victims are gone, but we've persisted in our quest for justice for them, securing prison terms for all of the perpetrators."

Hamlett pleaded guilty in August to second-degree conspiracy for helping to steal more than $100,000 from an elderly woman. The guilty plea came just before Hamlett was supposed to go to trial.

Lieberman pleaded guilty to first-degree money laundering on Nov. 3, 2014 and was sentenced on March 25, 2015 to 10 years in state prison. She forfeited $3 million in assets and lost her law license in the process.

Van Holt pleaded guilty on April 12, 2016 to first-degree money laundering and faces a possible sentence of 12 years in prison. Her sentencing is scheduled on Oct. 28.

Steen pleaded guilty to first-degree money laundering and was sentenced on March 4 to 10 years in prison.

Price pleaded guilty to second-degree theft for stealing $125,000 from a couple he met while working as a caseworker for Atlantic County Adult Protective Services and was sentenced on Oct. 23, 2015, to five years in prison.

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Woman sentenced to prison for scheme to steal millions from elderly