Former Centerville woman sentenced for stealing caged sister’s income
A former Centerville woman was sentenced Monday in federal court to time served for stealing her caged sister’s Social Security income.
U.S. District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose also sentenced Leona Mae Biser to two years of supervised release and ordered her to return $12,201 to the federal government. She has spent nine months in jail, the bulk of which in Butler County.
Biser used the money stolen from Loretta Lancaster to purchase alcohol, cigarettes and video games while her sister lived in a wooden cage with a dirty mattress in Biser’s home in the Vestaburg section of Centerville, court records state.
Biser, 52, pleaded guilty in February to payee fraud and Social Security fraud. She was arrested in August after being found living in a tent behind her condemned duplex at 29 Sixth St.
The court heard from her daughter Amber about her looking forward to having her mother back to help her raise a child. A friend also testified to ensuring Biser leads a productive life, court records state.
A portion of her sentence was sealed by Ambrose.
In her statement to the court, Biser admitted to being “sorrowful” for what she did to her sister, the record shows. Her statement also indicated she was raised in an abusive household by an alcoholic mother.
Biser still faces state charges in Washington County Court of endangering the welfare of a care-dependent person, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment and reckless endangerment.