An attorney swindled an 86-year-old woman with dementia out of nearly $900,000, Ohio officials said.

The St. Clairsville lawyer stole $882,000 from the woman, a client who was living in a senior housing facility, according to a May 2 news release from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.

Over the course of seven years, the man used his power of attorney to persuade insurance companies and banks to transfer the woman’s money into accounts for his own use, officials said.

An attorney for the man could not immediately be reached for comment by McClatchy News.

On one occasion, he requested $200,000 from the woman’s account for an educational fund that she wanted to start, officials said. But once the bank sent the money, he transferred it to himself, officials said.

When the woman’s family attempted to obtain power of attorney, he thwarted their efforts, creating a document to revoke their request, officials said.

The man pleaded guilty to mail fraud in August 2022, according to an earlier news release from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.

His “grave abuse of power over this vulnerable victim demands today’s serious punishment,” U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker said in the release. “His actions to take advantage of (his client) were utterly shameful.”

He was sentenced to five years in prison and has been ordered to pay back $882,502, officials said.

St. Clairsville is about 115 miles east of Columbus.

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