Prosecutors have charged a Philadelphia-area woman with stealing more than $88,500 from a terminally ill man battling prostate cancer after being hired to care for him by one of her long-time neighbors.
Melissa Deal of Aston is charged with in Delaware County with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and theft by deception and false impersonation.
"He's on his death bed and she is literally taking money right from under him," said Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan.
Prosecutors said Wednesday that Deal, 39, is a registered nurse who was hired by the victim’s daughter, Jacquie Desher, to care for 79-year-old James Mooney at an hourly rate of $30 and was given power of attorney shortly before he died in October 2013. Deal was once a friend and neighbor of Desher, said prosecutors.
Desher said she trusted her longtime neighbor since Deal had worked at local hospitals.
"We thought she was a good person," Desher exclusively told NBC10's Denise Nakano.
Authorities allege that Deal added herself as one of his beneficiaries and siphoned money from Mooney's accounts for her own benefit.
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An anonymous letter sent to prosecutors pointed the finger at Deal: “Melissa Deal was paying bills for her friends in order to keep them quiet.” Investigators found that one of the friends witnessed Mooney changing his will and that Deal later paid for that friend's electric bill.
“We consider crimes against seniors especially heinous because they are our more vulnerable residents," said Whelan. "In this particular case, a caretaker in the medical profession was entrusted to act in the victim’s best interests and provide comfort and care during his final days. Instead, she siphoned his accounts for her own personal benefit.”
Prosecutors said that in total, Deal wrote 28 checks to herself -- posting 24 of the checks on the same day they were written as she took $88,630.75 from Mooney. Authorities said he used the money for two trips to Disney World and to pay off bills.
"I don't think we'll ever be able to recover from the heartache," said Desher.
Desher had a message for Deal.
"Melissa, I want you to know that I forgive you but I will never forget how you treated my family," Desher said.
Defense attorney Christopher Brown didn't immediately return a call seeking comment Wednesday and Desher didn't answer knocks on her door.
