Cheltenham caretaker steals over $113,000 from elderly Lower Gwynedd woman with Parkinson's

One Lower Gwynedd woman, 86, suffering from Parkinson’s disease, entrusted a caretaker to not only assist her with daily life tasks in her home, but also to help her to pay bills as her extremely poor eyesight made it difficult for her to read.

Sadly, according to a report by Carl Hessler Jr. in The Reporter, Shabnam McAllister, 61, of the 100 block of Krewson Lane in Cheltenham Township, took it upon herself to do far more, including awarding herself more than $113,000 more than she was properly owed from the woman. McAllister was convicted of the felony charges of theft by deception and financial exploitation of an older adult or care-dependent person as a result of incidents from January 2019 to December 2021, Hessler said.

In total, courts said McAllister stole $113,400, as a two-day, non-jury trial was conducted in Montgomery County Courts before Judge Risa Vetri Ferman. Currently, McAllister is free on bail as background investigations are conducted, prior to a sentencing hearing.

According to the report, McAllister could serve 10 to 20 years in prison due to the charges, though state sentencing guidelines could lessen the sentence. The caregiver, who first came to the Lower Gwynedd woman via a local service, agreed to work exclusively for her at a rate of $15 per hour, but had the woman sign checks for far more than her pay, said Hessler’s report.

For the full story on the case, read The Reporter article here.