A caregiver and financial advisor has pled guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a dying woman.
Leslie Lockhart, 53, of Murray, pled guilty this week in a Calloway County courtroom to theft by unlawful taking, 22 counts of second-degree forgery and identity theft.
Lockhart, The Murray Sentinel reports, was as a “financial assistant and part-time caregiver” for the woman she pilfered the funds from, Maria Judy, who died at age 74 on December 9, 2024, according to her obituary.
Between May 2023 and December 2024, Lockhart stole funds from Judy by forging checks on her checking account, making unauthorized withdrawals from her stock accounts and making unauthorized withdraws from her 401(k), according to the Kentucky attorney general’s office.
As part of the plea agreement, Lockhart will receive an eight-year prison sentence and will be required to pay restitution in the amount of $300,000 to the victim’s estate. Of that amount, $100,000 must be paid within 30 days.
Kentucky State Police investigated the case.
Formal sentencing has been scheduled for April 20.
(Photo l-r: Leslie Lockhart, courtesy of Jessica Paine, The Murray Sentinel; Maria Judy, courtesy of J.H. Churchill Funeral Home and Cremation Services)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
