Ohio Woman Convicted Of Swindling One Elderly Victim; Still Faces Civil Suit For Pocketing $475K Farm Sale Proceeds From Another

In Lake County, Ohio, The News Herald reports:

• Janice Kucera smiled [last] Thursday as a Madison Township woman was convicted of befriending Kucera's octogenarian mother to get power of attorney over her. Lisa Hanusosky, 53, went on trial [last week] in Lake County Common Pleas Court on charges of taking money and a 2002 Nissan Sentra from Lucille New, now 86. New's daughter said she was relieved the jury found Hanusosky guilty of two counts of theft and one count of forgery. However, Kucera said she was disappointed they acquitted her on a fourth charge of grand theft of a motor vehicle. [...] Shortly after meeting New in 2005, Hanusosky gained access to her money and put her in a nursing home. Despite the fact that New had less than $20,000 to her name, Hanusosky wrote out checks on the victim's account to cover more than $5,000 of her own expenses and had the title of New's car transferred to her name.

In an earlier story, The News Herald reported:

• According to police, New has dementia and was not in her right mind when she met the suspect through her brother, Wadsworth Brewster, 87, who lives in Rae-Ann Nursing Facility in Geneva Township. Hanusosky also had power of attorney over Brewster and sold his farm, with Brewster's permission. After getting $475,000 from the sale of Brewster's farm, Hanusosky converted the proceeds of the sale to her own use to pay off her delinquent mortgage, according to a pending civil lawsuit filed against the suspect by the nursing home.

For more, see:

• Madison Twp. resident guilty of stealing from woman,
• Theft trial starts for Madison Twp. woman.

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