Bensalem Woman Get Jail For Stealing From Her Grandmom



by Alex Lloyd Gross

Stealing from senior citizens is despicable. Sometimes, they are not sure about money. This story is not about one of those [people.  The victim is articulate, spry and savvy and knows where her money is.  Rebecca Scott, of Argyle Way in Bensalem is going to spend up to the next two years in county jail after she stole from a senior. The senior that she stole from was her grandmother.

 

Police said that Scott wrote herself a check for $6500.00, then she altered another to try to get another $10,000 that she was not entitled to. To compound the situation, Scott also tried to order a book of her grandmothers checks sent to her home in Bensalem.

 On May 4, 2022, she plead guilty to financial exploitation of an older adult or care-dependent person, theft by unlawful taking, access device fraud and forgery, all felonies of the third degree. The new law of “financial exploitation of an older adult or care-dependent person” went into effect on Aug. 29, 2021. The law makes it a felony for a family member or other persons in a position of trust to wrongfully or without authorization take or attempt to take money, property or other assets from older adult or care-dependent person. An older adult is defined as anyone over 60.

She is now a convicted felon. Judge Diane Gibbons wanted to give her more time but was moved when the victim wrote a letter to the court pleading for mercy.  The victim is 89 years old. Ironically, police said this is not the first time she stole from her grandmother. She one got a $2000 loan in the form of a check from her grandmother and changed the amount of the check to $12,000 . The grand mom found out when she went shopping and her check was declined.
Deputy District Attorney Marc J. Furber told Judge Gibbons that Scott had three prior convictions of financial crimes, including getting a $4,000 loan from a 75-year-old family friend and then repaying her with bad checks, making four unauthorized transactions for more than $4,400 from another person’s bank account, and a check-kiting scheme that cost a Bensalem bank $4,000.
Scott must also repay her grandmother at $200.00 per month. Scott used the money to pay her rent and other amenities, authorities said