Member Of Local 'Gypsy' Community Charged With 'Sweetheart Swindle' Of Elderly Man
PROSPECT PARK, Pa. (CBS) – A woman who is a member of a self-proclaimed "Gypsy" community has been arrested and charged with stealing the life savings of an elderly man.
Sylvia Ristick, 45, of Prospect Park, is charged with stealing $44,356.87 of an 84-year-old man's money and effectively putting his home into foreclosure.
Authorities say the man believed he was in a romantic relationship, and they say Ristick claimed she had colon cancer and was in need of money for treatment.
Over the years, Ristick reportedly made multiple unauthorized purchases using his credit cards.
Apparently, Ristick was arrested in 2012 in Whitpain Township, Pa. for a similar "sweetheart swindle" at the same time as she was scamming this recent victim.
Ristick was arrested and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 3, 2014.