LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Police in Lancaster County have charged a 47-year-old woman with theft by deception after they say she used her position as a caretaker for an elderly man to steal more than $100,000 of his money over a two-year span.
Jill Renee Razzano, of Pequea, was charged Tuesday by Manor Township Police.
Razzano is already awaiting trial on charges of theft by unlawful taking and forgery stemming from a 2018 incident in Columbia, court records say. In that incident, Razzano allegedly stole $76,000 from a business belonging to her ex-husband.
In the latest case, Razzano is accused of using her position as the financial Power of Attorney for an 81-year-old Manor Township man to steal more than $100,000 between October 2018 and December 2020, Manor Township Police claim.
Razzano lived with the victim on the 1500 block of Manor Boulevard during the time that the alleged theft occurred, according to police. She allegedly took the money from the victim's checking and savings accounts at Wheatland Federal Credit Union, police claim.
Police began investigating when the victim's daughter approached them in December 2020, according to the complaint. The daughter told police she had discovered several unauthorized transactions on the victim's account, police say.
Investigators discovered several checks had been issued from the victim's accounts that were not authorized by the victim, and several payments were made to credit card accounts not associated with the victim, according to the complaint.
Police say the victim had previously been evaluated for memory loss and was taking prescription medication to treat dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Razzano was allegedly aware of the man’s diagnosis when she made the transactions, according to police.
In one transaction, Razzano used $25,000 from the victim's account to pay off a credit card, the complaint states.
In a meeting with a caseworker with the Lancaster County Office of Aging, the victim said Razzano had never asked him to borrow money to pay off the debt, according to the complaint.
Razzano also allegedly issued a certified check for $22,032 to an electrical business that was debited to the victim's credit union account, according to police.
In an interview with investigators, Razzano allegedly admitted that she used the man's money to pay off debts, police say.
The victim told police he would not have approved the transactions if he had been in charge of his own finances, according to police.
Razzano is currently free on $100,000 unsecured bail, according to court records. She will face a preliminary hearing on August 13.
