Crime
By Erika Stanish
/ CBS Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania family accused of exploiting a care-dependent woman
A Fayette County family is facing charges after investigators accuse them of exploiting a care-dependent woman of hundreds of thousands of dollars to allegedly buy cars, real estate and support the family business.
Todd Reppert, his wife Laura and son Ty were arrested and arraigned this week after allegedly stealing money from Todd's mother.
"This was her son. She trusted him to take care of her, made him her power of attorney," said Melinda Dellarose, first trial assistant district attorney in Fayette County.
The investigation started in 2019 when Todd assumed power of attorney for his mother. From there, Pennsylvania State Police said he took control of her bank accounts and placed her in a nursing home.
"During that time period, her home burned down. There was a there was a fire, and it was completely destroyed. So, she received some insurance proceeds. And it was then that the insurance proceeds, which should have been more than enough, coupled with her Social Security, as well as the pension that she received from her husband, who predeceased her, should have been more than enough to sustain her in the personal care home. But that's not what happened," Dellarose said.
Over the next four years, police said Todd, Laura and Ty depleted her account of more than $500,000.
"We're seeing large sums just being dissipated from mom's account. And on the flip side of that, we're seeing the Reppert family, new BMW. We found a cashier's check for $43,000 for a new BMW. We found real estate transactions over $100,000 for property that was purchased. Those types of records were traced and found through the investigation," Dellarose said.
Dellarose said Laura directly benefited from the BMW, which was purchased in her name.
"Ty received a benefit of the real estate. So, the real estate purchased was in his name, funds from his grandmother, Todd Reppert's mother, were used in that transaction. And that real estate is being rented as we speak," Dellarose said.
Police said tens of thousands of dollars were also linked to fuel Todd's gambling addiction and to pay bills to support the family business, Reppert Appliance and Furniture in Belle Vernon.
Meanwhile, Dellarose said Todd's mother's bills and medication at the nursing home went unpaid.
"Those payments stopped, and again, they were connected with her prescriptions. So, not only is she not paying for the care she's receiving, but she's not paying for her medications, unbeknownst to her, obviously. So, those payments stopped, and that's when her other two sons got involved and said there should have been more than enough funds, and because of the depletion of what she had, those costs were paid out of pocket for her continued care," Dellarose said.
Unfortunately, Dellarose said cases like this are happening more often than not.
"It's a theft, and it's a level of egregiousness because it's a family member. It's your mother, and it's unfortunate that a child would take advantage of his parent, especially in such a weakened condition," Dellarose said.
Todd is also facing charges for allegedly stealing funds from the North Belle Vernon Fire Department, where he was the assistant fire chief. He was in court for that case earlier this month.
Online records also show that in 2023, Todd was under investigation by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board for suspicious activity involving online gambling.
Todd was arrested and is currently behind bars at the Fayette County Jail, where he faces 19 felony charges for this case, including theft, conspiracy and financial exploitation.
Laura and Ty were also arrested and arraigned and are currently out on bail.
- In:
- Fayette County
