Bensalem woman who stole from elderly, lied about cancer to avoid jail is sentenced
A 48-year-old Bensalem caregiver who stole more than $30,000 in heirloom jewelry from elderly clients, then attempted to delay her sentencing by falsely claiming she had cancer will spend a year in jail.
Bucks County Common Pleas Court Judge Gary Gliman expressed doubt that the tears defendant Shannon Lynn Eberhart shed in court July 10 were a show of emotion, and questioned whether it was another deception.
“You are nothing but a con artist who deceived the people who cared for you,” Gilman said. “You betrayed every cancer patient, you betrayed the court system, you betrayed your attorney.”
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Eberhart pleaded guilty in March to financial exploitation of an older adult or care dependent person, theft by unlawful taking, and receiving stolen property, and one count of identity theft and access device fraud.
At her July 10 court appearance she entered guilty pleas to unlawful use of a computer and two counts of identity theft related to the submission of fraudulent documentation related to her cancer ruse.
Gilman, who called Eberhart’s actions “despicable and unfathomable,” sentenced her to serve what amounts to one year in the Bucks County Correctional Center, followed by 11 years of probation.
Eberhart was also ordered to pay $32,835 in restitution to the three victims, undergo mental health and drug and alcohol treatment and never again work as a caregiver.
“It was not about the monetary value,” Bucks County prosecutor Mark Furber said. “These were pieces of heirloom jewelry handed down from generation to generation, now gone.”
Shortly after she was employed as a caretaker for two elderly women, Eberhart started stealing jewelry and cash from them, Furber said. Newtown Township police charged her in February 2023.
She was later charged after an additional investigation found Eberhart also made unauthorized withdrawals from one of the women’s bank accounts.
The families of the victims, who knew Eberhart, told the court how her deceitfulness impacted them financially and emotionally. They said during their brief time working for the families, they grew to care for her.
One family grieved with Eberhart and gave her flowers and condolences when she told them her mother passed away.
But that was another lie. Eberhart’s mother was in court for the sentencing on Wednesday.
About a month before Eberhart was scheduled to appear in court in December, her public defender submitted medical paperwork supporting a request for a continuance, according to the DA. The letter claimed Eberhart had late stage esophageal cancer and needed further treatment.
Bucks County detectives contacted the two doctors named in the letter and neither one treated Eberhart or wrote a letter for her. Representatives of the hospital named in the letter also confirmed it was fake, the DA's office said.
The hospital noted the letter contained several inaccuracies, including its official name and logo, according to a district attorney press release. The two doctors named in the letter also never worked at the hospital.
A subsequent investigation found Eberhart created the fake letter and emailed it to her attorney, who submitted it to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutor Furber said Eberhardt made her bad situation worse by attempting to manipulate the court system.
"She failed, but not for lack of trying,” he added.
Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bensalem woman sentenced for theft from elderly, fake cancer claims
