Kim Covello, 62, left her neighbor “completely depleted” of funds, forcing her into seeking public assistance, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said.
Covello, who is married and self-employed, got power of attorney for the victim in 2012, Calo said.
Over the next three years, the prosecutor said, she “used in excess of $150,000 of the victim’s money for her own purposes, [which] included direct payments to herself and members of her family.
Covello also “built an addition on her house,” he said.
Arrested late last week, Covello was released pending an April 18 hearing Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack on theft by deception and elder abuse charges, the prosecutor said.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Ridgefield Park-Hasbrouck Heights and receive free news updates.