by: Alicia Patton
SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Sumner County woman was recently indicted after a joint investigation revealed that she misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars from vulnerable adults through her businesses.
Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and Tennessee Comptroller Office said they began investigating allegations involving 70-year-old Eileen Theresa Santangelo in May 2023 after receiving a request to do so from the District Attorney General of the 18th Judicial District.
During the course of the investigation, authorities said they developed information that Santangelo had misappropriated at least $804,247 from multiple individuals through her businesses which include, Serenity Homes of TN and Church and Chapel Funeral Service in Portland; and Restlawn Memory Gardens in Franklin, Kentucky.
According to the comptroller officer, Santangelo entered a trust agreement with a Portland business owner and later took money from the trust, which was where most of the misappropriation ($687,763.05) occurred. The misappropriation included the victim’s residence, sale of his rental properties, and other funds collected for the trust.
Santangelo is also accused of using the victim’s credit card before died to make a $14,150 purchase and after he died in 2023 to make a $1,362.18 purchase. In addition, authorities said she used another disabled individual’s credit card after he died, spending $3,136,42.
The comptroller’s office said the 70-year-old used approximately $91,246,18 from a $100,000 investment that was made to her business for her personal expenses, such as a trip to Australia and a loan payment for a car in her spouse’s name.
Based on the investigation, a Sumner County Grand Jury returned indictments last month charging Santangelo with one count of fraudulent use of a credit card over $10,000, one count of fraudulent use of a credit card over $1,000, three counts of theft over $250,000, two counts of financial exploitation of a vulnerable/elderly Adult over $250,000, and two counts of money laundering.
The TBI reported she was arrested on Monday, Nov. 18 and is being held in the Sumner County Jail on a $250,000 bond.
Full Article & Source:
Portland woman indicted, accused of stealing more than $800K from vulnerable adults
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