Calistoga Woman Sentenced For Stealing From Elderly Victim
WOODLAND (CBS13) - A Calistoga woman was sentenced to 16 months in prison for embezzling from an elderly Yolo County resident, District Attorney Jeff Reisig announced on Thursday.
Denise Ann Conophy, 51, of Calistoga was convicted of embezzlement, elder abuse and tax evasion. The court ordered the transfer of more than $300,000 in money and property seized from Conophy as restitution to the victim.
The victim, who wasn't identified, hired Conophy to handle her bookkeeping and other financial affairs relating to a business that the victim operated in St. Helena. Over the course of her seven years of employment, Conophy transferred the victim's assets to various accounts and used them to pay for her personal bills as well as to start an Internet business.
The victim's family discovered the theft when the victim was hospitalized and they found that the victim's life's savings had been depleted. During the investigation the California Franchise Tax Board determined that the defendant had failed to file a state income tax return during an eight-year period.
"It is a significant accomplishment when we can recover and return a lifetime worth of savings to an elderly victim," Reisig in a press release.
