A Pittsburgh man stole nearly $400,000 from his incapacitated grandmother while neglecting to pay the Monroeville nursing home where she lived, according to prosecutors.
The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office claims William Mason, 45, leveraged his power of attorney from 2020 to 2024 to cover bills, buy booze, rent hotels and more.
He allegedly did so through Cash App transfers, ATM withdrawals and depositing checks made out to him.
Meanwhile, authorities say, over $65,000 went unpaid to Juniper Village Nursing home after his 92-year-old grandmother moved there in 2023.
A detective with the district attorney’s office said in a criminal complaint Mason “at minimum… had a duty to pay for the victim’s care at Juniper Village.”
This debt led a judge last year to revoke Mason’s guardianship, according to the complaint.
Myra Aronson, who describes herself on LinkedIn as an “independent professional certified guardian,” took over at that point.
Monroeville police referred the case to the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, which took up the investigation in January, according to the complaint.
Mason, of Pittsburgh’s East Allegheny section, was charged Monday with felony counts of theft, financial exploitation of an older adult and receiving stolen property. He’s also charged with misapplication of entrusted property, a misdemeanor.
“Our office has and always will be committed to protecting elders,” Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said a statement. “To look at a care-dependent person as an opportunity for financial gain is a crime that we take very seriously, and we remain dedicated to enforcing these types of crimes.”
Mason is free on nonmonetary bail, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 15.
He did not have an attorney listed in court documents.
