Power of attorney charged with misuse of $125K

HONEY GROVE — A 42-year-old woman is facing charges of exploitation after police said she misused funds while acting as a power of attorney.

Trisha Jean Santos-Villalobo, of Honey Grove, was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Tracy Powell Friday on charges of financial exploitation and theft by deception.

According to the Affidavit of Probable Cause, Santos Villalobo wes power of attorney of an individual between January and September 2022 and caused him more than $125,000 in loss.

During this time, police said she emptied the individual’s savings account, had the victim buy her a vehicle, sold the victim’s vehicle, failed to pay his bills and used the victim’s checking account for personal purchases.

Court documents also state that Santos-Villalobo also failed to pay attorney fees and take the victim to court hearings, causing him to be incarcerated.

In a police interview, the victim said his previous power of attorney passed away and that Santos-Villalobo asked to become the new power of attorney.

The report states that the victim bought her a Dodge Challenger, then eventually traded it in for a truck.

Police said Santos-Villalobo would give the victim $60-100 each week to use and believed the rest was going into his bank account and to pay his bills. Court documents state that Santos-Villalobo had his paychecks switched from direct deposit to being placed onto a debit card he did not have access to.

In the interview, the victim said Santos-Villalobo told him in September 2022 that he was running out of money and had to sell the Dodge Charger to get caught up on bills. The victim also said he lost power to his house and had the water shut off due to Santos-Villalobo not paying his bills.

Santos-Villalobo was held in Mifflin County Correctional Facility, unable to post $50,000 bail. She is awaiting a preliminary hearing set for 11 a.m. Dec. 6.

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Power of attorney charged with misuse of $125K