D.A.: Delco nurse stole from dying client

An Aston Township woman has been charged with stealing more than $88,000 from a terminally ill client, the Delaware County District Attorney's Office said Wednesday.

Two anonymous letters - one to the man's family, the other to investigators - tipped them off that Melissa Deal, a nurse who was hired to care for the 79-year-old man, had written numerous checks to herself, and added herself as a beneficiary of an investment account, investigators said.

The victim, James Mooney, died Oct. 12, 2013.

Deal, 30, of the unit block of Victoria Drive, was charged with theft, receiving stolen property, and related crimes. She surrendered to authorities last week and was released on $35,000 bail, the District Attorney's Office said.

According to court documents, Deal was hired in August 2013 as a caretaker for Mooney after he moved into his daughter's Aston house. Jacqueline Desher, the victim's daughter, and Deal were once friends, prosecutors said.

In his last days, Mooney was in "continuous pain, groggy, and constantly slept," Desher told investigators.

On Oct. 1, 2013, Deal assumed power of attorney, gained access to Mooney's financial and investment accounts, and became the executrix of his estate.

The anonymous letter said, "Melissa Deal was paying bills for her friends in order to keep them quiet."

Investigators said they found that Deal had asked a friend to be a witness to Mooney's changing his will in Deal's favor. Deal then paid her friend's electric bill.