A woman stole thousands of dollars in money and family heirlooms from the people she worked for as a caregiver, then faked a stage 4 cancer diagnosis to delay her theft trial, Pennsylvania officials said.
Shannon Lynn Eberhart, 48, of Bensalem, pleaded guilty July 10 to unlawful use of a computer and two counts of identity theft, court records show.
She was sentenced to no more than two years of jail time followed by 11 years of probation , according to a news release from Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn.
Eberhart was also ordered to pay $32,835 in restitution to the victims, Schorn said.
McClatchy News reached out to Eberhart’s attorney July 11 for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Eberhart pleaded guilty in March to financial exploitation of an older adult or care-dependent person, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, identity theft and access device fraud, according to Schorn.
“You are nothing but a con artist who deceived the people who cared for you,” Judge Gary B. Gilman said during Eberhart’s July 10 sentencing, according to the release.
“You betrayed every cancer patient, you betrayed the court system, you betrayed your attorney,” he said, also calling her actions “despicable and unfathomable.”
According to officials, Eberhart was initially charged in February 2023 after an investigation by the Newtown Township Police Department revealed she stole cash and “heirloom jewelry” from two women who employed her as a caretaker.
She also made unauthorized withdrawals from one woman’s bank account, Schorn said.
“Both families knew and trusted Eberhart,” Schorn said. “They grew to care for her.”
A month before Eberhart was due in court on the theft-related charges, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office received a document from her public defender stating Eberhart had stage 4 esophageal cancer and needed medical treatment, and as a result, the hearing would need to be delayed, officials said.
Eberhart provided her attorney with the letter “which appeared to have come from a Montgomery County Hospital,” Schorn said.
Detectives contacted the two doctors named in the letter, both of whom said they never treated Eberhart, according to officials.
Hospital officials also confirmed the letterhead was fake and contained the wrong name and logo, officials said. Additionally, the doctors named in the letter never worked at Montgomery County Hospital.
Eberhart sentencing includes a condition that she never again work as a caregiver, court records show.
Bensalem is about a 20-mile drive northeast from Philadelphia.
Headstone salesman stole $1.5 million from hundreds of ‘grieving customers,’ feds say
Author visits archives for ‘research,’ then steals artifacts to sell on eBay, feds say
Priest stole $300K from church and sent some to sister to care for sick mom, feds say
Most Popular
Comments / 0