BUFFALO — A 40-year-old Amherst man will serve 3-6 years in prison for stealing money from his mother in law’s bank account after a ruling Wednesday by Erie County Court Judge Thomas P. Franczyk.
David Scheifla pleaded guilty in May to a 20 count indictment charging him with multiple counts of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument and Petit Larceny. According to Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Flaherty, Jr., Scheifla financially exploited his 83-year-old mother-in-law by forging 10 checks drawn on her personal bank account between September and October, using $1,050 to fuel his drug habit.
Judge Franczyk also ordered the defendant to make restitution and to have no contact with the victim for eight years after he is released from prison.
Acting DA Flaherty commended the home health care worker who questioned her distraught, elderly client and discovered the theft.
“If it weren’t for the efforts of the home health care worker, who knows how much more money could have been stolen?” Flaherty said. “Who knows if he would have ever been caught?”
Acting DA Flaherty also credits Amherst Police Detective Cathy Onions for her investigative work.
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