LE CENTER — A Le Sueur woman is accused of swindling a man with dementia out of hundreds of thousands of dollars to support a gambling addiction.
Theresa Ann Kelly, 53, was charged with four felonies for theft by swindle and a misdemeanor for financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult in Le Sueur County District Court.
A criminal complaint states Kelly and the alleged victim had a previous relationship but had been estranged for years until he had health complications in 2021. She was given power of attorney over his financial affairs in 2022, according to the complaint, and he’s in hospice care due to dementia.
Police started investigating Kelly in April after receiving an adult abuse report. In July an investigator met with Kelly, who reportedly admitted to using the man’s money to purchase $600 to $1,000 in silver once per month, buy a $12,000 camper and gambled at various casinos with her boyfriend.
She also received more than $40,000 in loans from friends and family under the guise of needing it for the man’s care. A scam GoFundMe supposedly set up to support the man’s care raised $10,148, according to the complaint.
The complaint states Kelly attributed her behavior to a gambling addiction, with her at one point acknowledging how “going through $465,000 in two years is scary.” It’s unclear if this is the actual total she took from the man, as the complaint lists different figures between silver reserves and deposits from his accounts.