47°
Nassau County resident Elizabeth Reilly, age 48, of New Hyde Park, was arraigned on Wednesday, April 6 on charges she allegedly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from a 91-year-old woman who entrusted her finances to her employer, a Floral Park attorney.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said that Reilly’s employer had a verbal agreement with the victim that he would handle her finances as she began executing a Power of Attorney, Living Will, and other documents with him.
As part of this agreement, Donnelly said that the law office’s address became the mailing address on record for the victim’s financial dealings and Reilly was given access to bank statements, checkbooks, credit cards, and financial statements.
According to the indictment, between 2016 and 2020, more than 250 checks were written from the victim’s bank accounts and allegedly made out to Reilly or to cash and deposited into Reilly's accounts or an account held by her husband.
In total, the deposited checks totaled more than $675,000, Donnelly said.
Additionally, it is further alleged that the victim’s credit card statements revealed hundreds of PayPal transactions for charitable donations to an animal shelter.
Reilly's PayPal records revealed the victim’s credit card was allegedly saved to Reilly’s PayPal account as a source for payments, Donnelly said. Other credit card charges attributed to the victim’s credit card accounts included personal purchases, beauty products, a gym membership, and airline tickets.
The investigation also determined that Reilly then allegedly paid the credit card balance, online, using the victim’s bank accounts. Those payments were linked to a device allegedly located at Reilly’s home address.
Donnelly said that the alleged theft was uncovered in October 2020, when Reilly’s employer reviewed the victim’s credit card statements and noticed questionable activity.
The case was referred to the Nassau County DA’s Financial Crimes Bureau in February 2021.
“The victim believed she was doing the prudent thing when she entrusted her finances to her attorney’s office. Instead, Reilly took advantage of her employee access, allegedly siphoning hundreds of thousands of dollars from the victim by writing herself checks, saving the victim’s credit card information to the defendant’s PayPal account, and also using the victim’s credit card to shop for beauty products, airline tickets and pay for a gym membership on the victim’s dime,” Donnelly stated.
Reilly was charged with second-degree grand larceny. She pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to return to court on Friday, May 6. If convicted, she faces up to 15 years in prison.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Nassau and receive free news updates.
