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Pennsylvania man sentenced for stealing $500K from senior citizens

CENTRE COUNTY, Pa. — A Pennsylvania man accused of stealing more than $500,000 from senior citizens in his care was sentenced to prison on Thursday.

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Ignacio Pearsall, 42, of State College, received a six-to-18-month sentence, followed by more than five years of probation, WJAC-TV reported. Earlier Thursday, Pearsall pleaded guilty to 12 criminal counts.

Most of the thefts occurred while Pearsall was employed as a nurse’s aide at Juniper Village at Brookline in State College, the Centre Daily Times reported. Family members of residents discovered checks missing from rooms and fraudulent checks passed, according to court documents.

Pearsall was accused of stealing 11 checks from at least seven patients, WJAC reported. He originally was charged with nine felony counts of forgery and 18 felony counts of theft, along with misdemeanor charges of theft, receiving stolen property and identity theft, according to the Daily Times.

The average age of the victims was 89, with at least one victim 100 years old, according to the television station.

The first instance of stolen checks from the nursing home was reported to police in early July 2020, when the son of a deceased resident discovered forged checks from his father’s account in the amounts of $80,000 and $105,000, the Daily Times reported. The second check was issued while his father was in a coma, police said.

Police said Pearsall confessed to the crime, allegedly admitting he was working with scammers in Georgia, WJAC reported.

The checks were sent there, where other people attempted to cash the checks, according to the television station.