Charge dismissed against Gloria Morvan, Northbridge woman accused of bilking elderly man

WORCESTER - A charge that a Northbridge woman allegedly stole $195,000 from an elderly, legally-blind man she took care of was dismissed at the request of the commonwealth in Worcester District Court Tuesday. The action came after a grand jury declined to indict Ms. Morvan on Friday.

Timothy J. Connolly, spokesman for District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.’s office, said the motion to dismiss was based on the evidence presented to the grand jury.

Ms. Morvan, 63, of 51 High St. in the Whitinsville section of town, had been arraigned in Uxbridge District Court in April 2017, after police said she cleaned out an elderly man’s checking account. She did not work for a home care agency, but informally helped Harold Swart, then 83, with shopping, errands and bill paying. Mr. Swart paid her in cash for her help.

She allegedly had Mr. Swart sign a blank check in January, which she then filled out to herself for $195,000. In her statement to police, Ms. Morvan claimed that the money was a gift from Mr. Swart.

Ms. Morvan used the money to buy a condominium in Whitinsville for $160,000 and make renovations to it, among other things.

Northbridge Police helped Mr. Swart file a claim of fraudulent activity with Santander Bank, which processed the unauthorized check without question, even though it was significantly larger than other checks Mr. Swart had signed. Santander Bank later reimbursed Mr. Swart for the money taken from his account.

In another case, a charge against Ms. Morvan for leaving the scene of property damage after she allegedly backed into another vehicle at a Northbridge sports bar on June 30, was continued without a finding after Ms. Morvan admitted sufficient facts for a guilty finding on Monday. Ms. Morvan was ordered to three months administrative probation.

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Charge dismissed against Gloria Morvan, Northbridge woman accused of bilking elderly man