Man Sues Banks in Hoax Mom Case

A Bucks County man is suing two financial institutions, claiming their practices were lax enough to allow abduction hoax mom, Bonnie Sweeten, to allegedly take money he'd put aside for retirement.

Sweeten is serving time on misdemeanor charges related to the elaborate hoax she concocted last May, claiming she and her daughter had been kidnapped by two black men. Instead, she flew off to Disney World with her 9-year-old to escape an unhappy marriage and mounting money problems.

During that investigation, the feds began looking into allegations that Sweeten may have taken up to $300,000 from family and friends. Sweeten has not been charged with any financial wrongdoing.

Now, a lawsuit filed on behalf of 92-year old Victor Biondino, who is the grandfather of Sweeten's first husband, claims Sweeten stole a blank check from Biondino, made it out for $280,000 and cashed it, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

That money was drawn on a Vanguard account and deposited into an account at Commerce Bank, according to the suit.

The suit claims both institutions should have questioned the check.

Vanguard told the Inquirer that the suit was without merit.

"We urged the plaintiffs to report the fraud to police immediately," a spokesman for Vanguard told the paper. "When they did not do so, Vanguard then proactively contacted law enforcement officials," in an attempt to recover the money.

TD Bank, which took over Commerce Bank, could not comment due to pending litigation.

When Sweeten was sentenced back in December, Bucks County District Attorney at the time, Michelle Henry said this about the federal funds investigation:

"I can just tell you that the federal investigation is ongoing and is an extensive investigation."

Sweeten was supposed to get out of prison on an early release last Sunday for good behavior, but that changed in the days leading up to her release.

"The allegation is that she had inappropriate interaction with another inmate," her attorney told the Inky.