Sisters sentenced to jail for stealing $272K from elderly woman at senior care facility
ESCALON, Calif. - Two sisters were sentenced to jail terms and to pay restitution Monday after pleading no contest to charges they stole $272,000 from a resident of a senior care facility in Escalon.
State Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the sentence Monday of Lesley Danielle Pinola and her sister, Rita Ann Tiffany Martinez.
Pinola, a former administrator at the senior care facility, pleaded no contest to one felony count of theft from an elder or dependent adult and was sentenced Monday to 180 days in jail and two years of felony probation. Martinez previously pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of receiving stolen property and was sentenced Monday to 90 days in jail and one year of probation.
The order required the sisters to immediately repay $240,000 to the estate of the 66-year-old victim, who has since passed away, according to the attorney general's office.
"Two sisters decided to take advantage of an elderly resident for their own personal gain, and now they are facing the consequences of their actions," Bonta said in a statement.
The investigation found that Pinola convinced the victim to provide checks totaling over $272,000, which she had no right collecting. Martinez assisted with the theft by allowing large amounts of stolen money to be deposited into her bank accounts.
Pinola is required to repay the remaining $32,000 to the woman's estate while serving probation.