by Alex Rose
 |
| Bernadette
Branson-Lawler |
MEDIA COURTHOUSE — A Springfield woman was given five years of
probation and ordered to pay more than $250,000 to the estate of her
mother after pleading guilty Tuesday to a theft charge.
Bernadette
Branson-Lawler, 55, of the first block of Meetinghouse Lane, was
originally reported to have stolen $337,715 from her 78-year-old mother
over a period of nearly seven years, according to a release from the
Delaware County District Attorney’s Office issued Jan. 28, 2019.
Assistant
District Attorney Erica Parham told Common Pleas Court Judge Margaret
Amoroso Wednesday that Branson-Lawler had repaid $208,134 of the total
$253,285 restitution amount being sought.
She will continue making payments of $500 per month over the next
five years to satisfy the remaining $45,151 under the negotiated guilty
plea worked out by Parham and defense attorney Matthew Sedacca. Neither
Branson-Lawler nor her attorney said anything prior to the sentence
being handed down.
Detective Sgt. Anthony Ruggieri of the Delaware
County District Attorney’s Office Criminal Investigation Division
Senior Exploitation launched an investigation in September 2017 after
law enforcement received information about the possible financial
exploitation of a 78-year woman, according to the release. The victim,
who is non-verbal and predeceased by her husband in August 2009, was
residing in a secure unit of an assisted living facility for individuals
with dementia, the release states.
Following the death of her
husband, the victim appointed her daughter, Branson-Lawler, as her power
of attorney. Branson-Lawler remained an agent for the victim until July
2013, when she petitioned the Orphan's Court of Delaware County to
become guardian for her mother due to her diminished mental capacity and
other health related issues, the release says. Branson-Lawler was
appointed plenary guardian by the court until she was removed by the
Orphan's Court in October 2017 and replaced by a court-appointed
attorney.
Brandon-Lawler sold her mother’s house in Springfield for $269,000 in
January 2013, then moved her mother to an assisted living facility,
according to the release. In July 2017, Branson-Lawler failed to file
the annual guardian's inventory and the annual reports of the person and
the estate, as required by the Delaware County Orphan’s Court.
After
failing to submit the required guardian paperwork and not appearing for
court, a court-appointed attorney reviewed all of the victim’s
financial records and discovered suspicious withdrawals made by
Brandon-Lawler.
When questioned, Branson-Lawler admitted that she
withdrew money from her mother’s accounts for personal expenses, such as
her interior design business, her electric and insurance bills and gym
membership. She also indicated she wrote herself checks, according to
the release.
An investigation ensued and Branson-Lawler was
ultimately charged with 21 counts of theft by unlawful taking, theft by
deception and false impression, and receiving stolen property, all
second-degree felony offenses. The remaining counts were dropped under
the plea deal.
Parham indicated that the commonwealth would not
object to termination of the probationary sentence early if
Branson-Lawler completed making restitution payments early.
Full Article & Source:
Probation for woman who stole $250G from her mother
