Woman to serve up to 3 years for stealing more than $40k from mother-in-law

MANCHESTER — An East Derry woman was sentenced Monday to serve to up to three years in state prison for stealing more than $40,000 from her elderly mother-in-law.

Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald said in a release Monday that Elizabeth Whitehead, 53, was sentenced Monday in Hillsborough Superior Court North in Manchester to one Class A felony count of theft by unauthorized taking after pleading guilty to the charge on May 15.

The court sentenced Whitehead to 1½ to 3 years at the New Hampshire state prison.

According to MacDonald, an investigation by Manchester Police revealed between April 2014 and February 2015, Whitehead forged bank withdrawal slips in order to withdraw money from her 87-year-old mother-in-law’s bank account. The investigation showed that Whitehead forged 29 withdrawal slips and withdrew $44,000 of the victim’s money.

At the sentencing hearing, Whitehead disputed the amount of money she had taken. A hearing will be scheduled in the near future to determine the total amount of restitution owed to the victim.

MacDonald said attorneys and victim/witness advocates in the Attorney General’s Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation Unit work with local law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute this type of crime.

Anyone who believes they may have been, or knows someone who may have been, the victim of elder abuse or financial exploitation is asked to contact their local police department or the Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services at (800) 949-0470.

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Woman to serve up to 3 years for stealing more than $40k from mother-in-law