While many couples choose to share finances, no situation is the same. For some couples, individual finances are kept separate — for example, if someone has trouble sticking to the budget. But sometimes a con artist will do whatever it takes to take financial advantage of their spouse.
Recently, a Connecticut woman was arrested after authorities found out that she actually duped her husband into believing he had a medical condition to prevent him from being aware of his quickly depleting bank accounts.
The con took place over the span of two decades. Donna Marino, 63, was investigated for a few months before an arrest was finally made. The East Haven Police Department noted in a press release that she was being charged with both first-degree larceny and third-degree forgery for the crime.
"Through the investigation, it was determined that Ms. Marino would forge her husband's signature on his pension checks, social security checks, worker's compensation settlements, and other legal documents, before depositing the funds in a secret bank account without his knowledge," police said, per People.
"Ms. Marino advised investigators that she was able to hide her fraudulent activities over the years by convincing her husband that he was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease," the statement continued. "She further stated that she believed that convincing him that he had Alzheimer's Disease would prevent him from going to the bank, ultimately to discover the low balances on his accounts."
The name of Marino's husband, who is 78, hasn't been released, but his adult daughter Elena was reportedly the one to suspect fraud. Elena first contacted the police in March 2019. She reportedly stumbled across some financial paperwork at their home in Connecticut that seemed suspicious.
As Elena looked into it more, she put some of the pieces together and believes that the lies and deception started back in 1999. Her dad then confirmed to police that his wife "always controlled his finances," and he didn't ask too many questions.
With a solid connection, it makes sense to assume that your spouse isn't quietly ripping you off if she handles the money. However, it's more heartbreaking to know that you've been taken advantage of in multiple ways. He didn't plan on pressing charges, but he did reportedly file for divorce in January 2020.
The husband also told police that "he had no idea she was taking money from him," meaning that she was reportedly able control and deceive him the entire time. It's unclear how she spent the extra money, but the total amount seems to be somewhere around $600,000. He believes that she was "defrauding him of his pension, paychecks, workers compensation settlements, and other forms of monetary gains over multiple decades."
Based on these discoveries, he realized that he'd been lied to this entire time. Marino did admit to signing his pension checks and forwarding the money over to her mother's bank account, once the evidence came out. She also admitted that she pawned some of his items behind his back for extra funds.
She also admitted that she went so far as to fraudulently obtain power of attorney over her husband, giving her even more of a say in his finances. The Alzheimer's disease claim helped cover any tracks, but it's incredibly harsh that she'd give a false diagnosis that's so incredibly devastating. By doing so, she was controlling more than just his money.
To prevent her husband from physically visiting a bank, Marino reportedly told him that his Alzheimer's disease would create an issue, reminding him that he had made a scene the last time he went. Of course, this never happened — but he still believed it. And at the time, he had no reason not to.
Even more heartbreaking, Marino likely knew that her husband's biggest fear was Alzheimer's, since it ran in his family. So not only did she lie to him, but she specifically targeted a fear of his that he might not question. Police state that she "fabricated this scenario to prevent [redacted] from going inside the bank and discovering the low balance in their accounts."
If anything, this should make couples realize that all parties should be fully aware of what's happening with family finances. While this case is maddening, Marino's husband thought trust would be enough — and ended up being mistaken. Double-checking statements and accounts is also a good way to make sure you haven't been scammed by any outside parties as well, so it's something worth checking on.
