Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era

Police say woman took $50K from mom

Charges are lodged Police say woman took $50K from mom

Police have accused an Ephrata woman of stealing about $50,000 from her mother.

Theft charges against Gail Moyer, 53, of 38 Peaceful Lane, stem from an investigation into her role as power of attorney over the financial affairs of her mother, Lorraine Leisey, police said Wednesday.

A Lancaster County Office of Aging employee received an anonymous complaint and contacted police about the alleged wrongdoing in February 2012, Ephrata police Detective Graeme Quinn said in a criminal complaint.

Leisey, now 82, had been hospitalized and received rehabilitative care at Manor Care Nursing Home in Lancaster from May through October of 2011. Moyer stole about $50,000 from her mother's bank accounts during that period, police allege. She also failed to complete applications that would have helped pay the $28,115 bill, Quinn said.

Police obtained search warrants and examined Leisey's bank accounts. They also interviewed Leisey and Moyer.

Moyer said she received a $45,758 check from one of her mother's accounts on Aug. 11, 2011, according to Quinn.

Moyer said she used $29,000 of it for a down payment on a home -- with her mother's permission -- and the rest to pay for expenses related to caring for her mother.

Moyer also said she made various ATM withdrawals from her mother's accounts to move the money into another account to prevent her brother, Gary Leisey, from accessing the money, Quinn said. Moyer and her brother have joint power of attorney over their mother's affairs.

Lorraine Leisey told police she never gave Moyer permission to use her money for a down payment on a home, Quinn said. She also said she wasn't aware of a debit card being attached to one of her accounts.

Leisey also said she never gave her daughter permission to remove money from one of the accounts because she was counting on that money to pay her expenses as she aged, Quinn said.

A certified fraud examiner assisted the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office in poring over the bank records in the case.

Quinn charged Moyer with taking a total of about $50,000 from her mother, according to the complaint.

Moyer was arraigned Jan. 29 on four counts of theft by deception and four counts of theft by unlawful taking.

She was committed to Lancaster County Prison, but was released Jan. 30 after posting $25,000 bail, a spokeswoman for District Judge Tony Russell said Wednesday.

Moyer does not have an attorney. Attempts to reach her for comment on Wednesday were unsuccessful.

rrobinson@lnpnews.com