Woman who stole $5M from elderly Fresno man agrees to plea deal
Christina Alvarado, the Tulare County woman accused of scamming an elderly man out of more than $5 million, has agreed to a plea deal that could send her to prison for up to five years.
Investigators allege Alvarado befriended David Silnitzer, a 75- year- old widower with dementia, and soon began draining his life savings of stocks, securities and property.
On Wednesday, Alvarado, 50, pleaded no contest to charges of theft from an older adult and unauthorized use of personal identifying information. She is also required to pay $5.5 million in restitution.
As part of the plea agreement, the Farmersville woman was released from jail and ordered to return to court on Nov. 12 for sentencing.
If she fails to appear, she could face up to nine years in prison, said Deputy District Attorney Douglas DiCicco.
The victim’s granddaughter Heidi Plowman was not happy with the plea deal.
“I don’t think any amount of time is adequate for what she did to my family,” said Plowman, who lives in Idaho. “She also doesn’t have $5 million to pay my grandfather back.”
Court documents allege Alvarado met Silnitizer in 2016 at a convenience store, where he would walk every morning to buy a newspaper. Plowman remembers her grandfather telling her about meeting a kind woman who has begun visiting him and cooking him meals.
Soon, Alvarado charmed her way into his life, home and finances. She gained legal control of his finances and was withdrawing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his bank account.
What Silnitzer didn’t know is Alvarado had a criminal past. Court records show she has been arrested for prostitution, possession of a controlled substance and possession for sale of a controlled substance.
Her most recent arrest was in 2019 in Lemoore for possession of a control substance.
Investigators allege Alvarado and an accomplice, who has not been charged, spent millions of Silnitzer’s money at local gaming casinos, including Table Mountain and Tachi Palace Casino.