A former Shelter Island justice and her husband are accused of grand larceny — allegedly stealing more than a million dollars from an 89-year-old Water Mill woman suffering from dementia.
The first day of the trial took place in Riverhead on Tuesday, according to a report from the Shelter Island Reporter.
Katherine Pope, who served as from 1998 to 2002, and her husband, Wayne, are alleged to have stolen the money from the victim, Mary Abbot Estabrook, over a period of four years, according to the Suffolk County district attorney's office. Mr. Pope had worked as a handyman for Estabrook and had allegedly obtained power of attorney from her, then used that power to write checks to benefit himself.
Estabrook died on July 4, 2009 at the age of 89.
