Woman accused of taking dying neighbor’s home gets probation
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PITTSBURGH (AP) – A Western Pennsylvania woman accused of having forged a will and other documents to take her dying elderly neighbor’s home has been sentenced to probation.
Fifty-six-year-old Mary Mechelli of McKeesport pleaded guilty Wednesday in Allegheny County Court to misapplication of entrusted funds, forgery and insurance fraud.
Mechelli lived across the street from 79-year-old Margaret Dorn, who died in May 2010, a few weeks after falling down some steps.
Prosecutors said that while Dorn was hospitalized, Mechelli forged her will and then rented out Dorn’s home. They said a man who was evicted after asking questions about the home’s ownership contacted investigators in 2012.
Defense attorney Patrick Thomassey said the withdrawal of all felony counts and the probation sentence made the plea agreement impossible to turn down.