Kentucky woman stole from people under her care, spent money on vacation, tanning, pets
A Kentucky woman who stole money from elderly people and used it for pet care, tanning sessions and other personal purchases has been sentenced to a year and a half in federal prison.
Donna Sue Glass was sentenced to prison time Monday after previously pleading guilty to two charges of wire fraud. She also was ordered to pay a total of $87,700 in restitution to the estates of three people whose money she took, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Glass, 53, ran the Glass Family Care Home in Greenup County, a personal-care home where Glass looked after older people.
Glass became guardian to two residents and had access to the bank account of a third, and misappropriated money the three received from sources such as pensions or Social Security, according to court records.
Glass’ attorney, Michael J. Curtis, said in a sentencing memorandum that she did an excellent job caring for people.
But the prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Dieruf, said Glass took advantage of vulnerable people who needed care because of physical or mental infirmities.
“From the way she spent their money, it is clear that (Glass) was motivated by greed,” the prosecutor wrote.
In addition to taking money from residents, Glass housed more people than state law allowed and squeezed two people into a room that measured 16 feet by 20 feet and had no private bathroom, according to the sentencing memo.
Court documents cite several ways Glass spent the money she took from the three, including a vacation, memberships to a tanning salon, veterinary care, her daughter’s beauty pageant expenses, a limousine service and Victoria’s Secret.
When Glass drained all the money from one man’s account, she deposited money from other renters into the account so she could keep using it, according to the government sentencing memo.
The memo said she used the victim’s “bank account as her personal and business clearinghouse, without his knowledge or authorization.”
Glass also increased one woman’s rent past what she could afford — signing off on the increase as the woman’s guardian — in order to generate a debt to herself, then took money from the woman’s savings account to cover the debt, according to court documents and a news release.
When the woman moved to another facility, Glass kept receiving and spending her retirement benefits without paying the other facility, under the pretense the woman owed her money, according to the release.
The personal-care home has since closed. Glass was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning.
