Woman allegedly stole dead woman’s money

LANSDALE >> Lansdale police say a 31-year-old New York woman gained access to a Lansdale woman’s bank account shortly after the victim’s death in December and stole more than $14,000 to pay federal taxes, credit card bills and a parking ticket.

Cheyra Denisse Diaz, of the 100 block of Piccadilly Downs in Lynbrook, N.Y., has been charged with felony counts of identity theft, theft, receiving stolen property and access device fraud, as well as misdemeanor securing execution of documents by deception.

Borough detectives said in court documents filed in the case that in early February, a woman reported that she and other family members discovered in January — a little more than a month after her elderly mother, who resided at a Lansdale continuing care facility, passed away — that $14,436.26 was missing from her mother’s bank account due to 14 unauthorized electronic payments generated online starting Dec. 23, about a week after the woman’s death, and continuing until Jan. 23.

Among the fraudulent transactions were an $897.21 tax payment to the Internal Revenue Service, a payment of $115 for a New York City parking ticket, and thousands of dollars in payments to several credit cards, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

A subsequent police investigation determined that three of the credit cards belonged to Diaz, and a review of her card statements found that payments had been made via wire transfers from the deceased woman’s bank account.

Police sources said Wednesday that Diaz is not related to the victim and is not believed to have personally known her, and it was not immediately clear how the victim’s bank account was accessed.

Diaz turned herself in to local authorities and was arraigned on the five criminal counts in Lansdale district court. She’s free on $40,000 unsecured bail while awaiting a preliminary hearing in the case.

Her lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.