A 40-year-old woman charged with multiple counts of theft for allegedly fleecing an 86-year-old Lakewood man of $200,000 pleaded not guilty Friday in Pierce County Superior Court.
Court Commissioner Meagan Foley released Madonna Debby Page on her own recognizance after her arraignment.
Page is charged with six counts of first-degree theft and two counts of second-degree theft.
Prosecutors say she moved in with the former accountant, who suffers from dementia, and coaxed him into giving her thousands of dollars, which prosecutors said she spent at nail salons, doctors’ offices and local casinos.
Page, who is married to an 81-year-old man, allegedly told investigators she and the 86-year-old man were just friends and that he gave her money voluntarily, saying they take care of each other.
Prosecutors said she exploited him.
“Our elder fraud team vigorously prosecutes cases of elder fraud and theft,” Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said. “We encourage family and friends of elder victims to come forward and report these crimes against some of the most vulnerable members of our community.”
adam.lynn@ thenewstribune.com
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