Woman gets 5 years in prison for stealing from elderly aunt in Addison
A woman who stole more than $212,225 from her elderly aunt was sentenced Friday to five years in prison.
Elizabeth Stallone, 61, of the 2300 block of South Belleview Avenue in Westchester, was sentenced by DuPage County Judge Kathryn Creswell, according to a news release from the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office.
She was also ordered to repay her aunt.
On Sept. 30, Stallone pleaded guilty to one count of financial exploitation of a person over the age of 70.
The Addison police investigated the case; the aunt lived in Addison.
Stallone was granted power of attorney for the then-83-year-old woman’s financial matters in December 2007. She wrote unauthorized checks, and made unauthorized charges, against her aunt’s bank accounts. The money paid for personal expenses, including items from Kohl’s, Lane Bryant and Overstock.com, and at least $124,000 went to her business, Carnegie Printers, according to prosecutors. Checks were also written to her business partner.
A relative contacted police in February 2011, after noting discrepancies in the aunt’s finances.
“This is a very sad case where simple greed got the better of Mrs. Stallone,” State’s Attorney Bob Berlin said in the release. “What is particularly disheartening in this case is that the victim, who was not only Mrs. Stallone’s aunt, was also an ailing elderly woman who trusted her niece to help her in her golden years.” He called Stallone’s actions “despicable.”
Stallone will be eligible for parole after serving half her sentence.
Prosecutors initially said they believed Stallone had stolen more than $300,000, but Stallone’s attorney disputed that.
Stallone could have been sentenced to probation, or up to 15 years in prison. She has no prior criminal record.