Huntingdon man accused of stealing $66K from grandmother with dementia

HUNTINGDON, Pa. (WTAJ) — A Huntingdon woman found her grandson stole over $66K after she offered up her bank account to help pay bills, according to court documents.

Richard Joseph Gries, 40, was accused of stealing upwards of $66,773.57 over the span of six months from his 84-year-old grandmother’s bank account after she offered up her info to help pay the bills in her home where he was living.

According to the criminal complaint, Huntingdon police were alerted of the fraudulent charges when the woman’s caretaker noticed Paypal charges on her bank statements.

While investigating, the woman, who is in a care home to help with a broken hip, said her grandson, Gries, was living in her house and she offered up her bank information to help pay for the utilities, citing electricity was expensive.

Charges show that bank statements, which the grandmother claims she hasn’t seen in years, show a slew of payments via Paypal to Gries’ account, the complaint reads.

According to charges, Gries told police he spent the money to keep the nursing home from getting it. It was also noted that at one point, he got into an argument with the billing person.

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Gries was charged with financial exploitation and theft. His bail was set at 10 percent of $30,000, which he posted a bond for.

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