Nephew pleads guilty to stealing from uncle with dementia

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. (AP) - A nephew who had power of attorney for his uncle has pleaded guilty in Itasca County District Court to stealing nearly $900,000 from him.

Fifty-five-year-old Patrick Pecchia entered the plea to one felony count of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult. Prosecutors say Pecchia took more than $870,000 from his uncle, who had dementia, from 2007 until he died in 2011.

County Attorney John Muhar says a plea agreement calls for a 72-month prison sentence to be stayed and that Pecchia would instead be placed on 20 years of supervised probation and serve a year in jail. Pecchia is also expected to pay restitution to his uncle’s estate.

Sentencing is set for March 16.