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Gina D’Amore, age 57, of Levittown, was arraigned on multiple charges in Nassau County Court on Friday, Dec. 16, including grand larceny and endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person.
Prosecutors said D’Amore and the victim worked together for the Town of Hempstead and she was appointed as his legal guardian after he retired. She served in the role from July 2016 to June 2019.
Instead of protecting his finances during that period, however, D’Amore allegedly skimmed checks she received on behalf of the victim, depositing only portions of the funds into his bank account while taking the rest for herself, prosecutors said.
She also made additional cash withdrawals from the victim’s account and wrote checks out to “cash” for tens of thousands of dollars, according to investigators.
Prosecutors said D’Amore stopped paying the man’s utility bills and home repairs, leaving his property to fall into disrepair. She is also accused of failing to pay property taxes on the victim’s home, resulting in a tax lien being placed on the house.
“For the next several years, this defendant allegedly siphoned more than $150,000 from her elderly victim’s accounts and failed to pay his bills, leaving him to live in a mouse-infested home,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said.
“The residence fell into disrepair and was nearly lost due to non-payment of taxes. This charged conduct is reprehensible, and my office will ensure justice for the victim in this case.”
D’Amore resigned as the victim’s guardian in April 2019 and surrendered to Nassau County investigators in December 2022.
In court Friday, she pleaded not guilty to all charges, which also include two counts of offering a false instrument for filing, a felony. A judge ordered her released ahead of her next court appearance in February 2023.
If convicted, D’Amore could be sentenced to between five and 15 years in prison.
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