Police in Connecticut have arrested a woman they say stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from her husband over two decades by convincing him that he had Alzheimer's disease.
According to The Associated Press, WVIT-TV in New Britain, Connecticut and Patch, 63-year-old Donna Marino turned herself in Wednesday and was charged with first-degree larceny and third-degree forgery.
The East Haven Police Department alleges that Marino first began stealing from her husband in 1999. The department alleges that Marino would forge her husband's signature on pension, social security and worker's compensation checks and then deposit that cash into a secret bank account.
In addition to re-routing his checks, Marino also allegedly pawned some of her husband's jewelry and rare coins without his consent, WVIT reported.
As part of her alleged plot, police allege that Marino had convinced her husband that he was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
"She believed that convincing him that he had Alzheimer's disease would prevent him from going to the bank, ultimately, to discover the low balances on his accounts," Police Capt. Joseph M. Murgo said, according to Patch.
In addition to convincing her husband about a false Alzheimer's diagnosis, The Associated Press reports that Marion also allegedly enlisted a friend, a notary public, to sign off on a legal document that granted her power of attorney of her husband.
All told, police believe Marino stole about $600,000 from her husband over the years.
According to police, Marino's husband first realized his wife was stealing from him in 2019. After taking time to "consider his options, he decided to file a formal complaint" in March 2020.
Marino is currently being held in jail on a $25,000 bond.