EAST HAVEN, Conn. — Authorities arrested a woman Wednesday accused of convincing her husband that he had Alzheimer’s disease in a scheme to defraud him of $600,000 over two decades, according to multiple reports.
Donna Marino, 63, turned herself in to police Wednesday to face one count each of first-degree larceny and third-degree forgery, WTIC-TV reported. Authorities ordered her held on a $25,000 bond, according to the news station.
Her arrest came after Marino’s husband contacted police in March 2020 to report that she had been stealing from him since 1999, according to WTIC. He told investigators that she controlled their finances and that he hadn’t realized earlier that she had been stealing his money.
East Haven police: Woman allegedly stole husband’s money for 20 years, convinced him he had Alzheimer’s https://t.co/qD4PFxTedS
— New Haven Register (@nhregister) October 28, 2021
Marino’s daughter-in-law told WFSB that she became suspicious in 2019, when she noticed that her dad’s credit score had dropped by hundreds of points. She saw that his house had a tax lien on it and tried to get in touch with him, though she told WFSB that his phone number was being rerouted to Marino’s phone.
Marino’s husband told investigators that he took time to weigh his options after learning of the theft in March 2019, WFSB reported. Authorities subsequently determined that Marino allegedly forged her husband’s signature on several legal documents, including pension checks, social security checks and workers’ compensation settlements, according to the New Haven Register. She deposited the funds in a secret bank account that her husband was unaware of, police told the newspaper.
Marino told investigators that she convinced her husband, who is in his 70s, that he had Alzheimer’s disease to help hide her actions, as she believed the diagnosis “would prevent him from going to the bank, ultimately to discover the low balances on his accounts,” Capt. Joseph Murgo told the Register in an email.
“She was making up stories in the morning, telling him that he was running around the house chasing her … saying, ‘Get out of my house, I don’t know you,’” the victim’s daughter told WFSB. She added that the victim’s mother had Alzheimer’s disease and that getting the diagnosis was his greatest fear.
Authorities told the Register that Marino is also accused of having a friend, who is a notary public, sign a legal document to give her power of attorney over her husband while he wasn’t present. She filed taxes in his name and pawned some of his belongings, including jewelry and rare coins, without his knowledge, according to the Register and WTIC.
Marino told investigators that she used the funds to help other family members pay for their rent, groceries and car payments, WFSB reported.
The couple no longer live together, according to WTIC. The victim’s daughter told WFSB that she moved him to Florida.
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