Robynn Dumont of Mercer County told an 85-year-old widower's family that the money would be invested and receive a 15 percent return.
WOODBURY -- A Mercer County accountant will spend six years in state prison after admitting she stole $750,000 from a disabled, 86-year-old client.
Robynn Dumont Robynn L. Dumont, 54, received the sentence Friday after previously pleaded guilty to writing bad checks, a crime that stemmed from her scheme to steal the funds from Joy Lippincott, an East Greenwich woman suffering from Parkinson's disease and dementia, in 2011.
Dumont, a former candidate for Hamilton council, was hired to invest the widower's funds and promised a 15 percent return annually. It wasn't until an attorney got involved in Lippincott's finances that Dumont's thefts were revealed and a civil action was filed against her.
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Dumont's actions became part of a criminal investigation when checks she wrote to pay back the funds bounced.
At Friday's sentencing, the daughters of Lippincott, who has since died, said they felt Dumont needed to "feel some pain" after her actions left them distrustful of people.
A restitution hearing, which will set how much Dumont must repay, will occur at an unspecified date in the future.
Michelle Caffrey may be reached at mcaffrey@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ShellyCaffrey. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
