PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A former court-appointed guardian for the elderly in Philadelphia has been charged with stealing money, gold coins, family heirlooms and other valuables from three estates.
The Philadelphia district attorney’s office said Tuesday that 58-year-old Gloria Frances Byars of Aldan is charged with multiple felony counts of theft and receiving stolen property.
Guardians are appointed for people deemed incapable of taking care of themselves or their finances. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that questions about Byars’ financial management have prompted her removal from about 100 cases in three counties.
Court documents don’t list an attorney representing Byars and calls to numbers listed in her name weren’t immediately returned. The Inquirer, which focused on Byars in a March 2018 article, said a woman hung up after answering a cellphone Byars used last year.