Former state contractor gets 5 years for stealing from elderly person

A 41-year-old woman was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison for stealing money from an elderly person while she worked as a state contractor at an assisted living facility in west suburban North Aurora.

Mary E. Pfingston, of Joliet, pleaded guilty on Feb. 16 to a felony count of financial exploitation of the elderly, according to the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office.

From Feb. 1 2015 to April 30 2015, Pfingston stole between $5,000 and $50,000 from the victim, who was living at the long-term care facility, prosecutors said.

Pfingston, who is also known as Mary E. McMillan, was an employee for Senior Services Associates, a company contracted through the Illinois Department of Aging, prosecutors said. She primarily served as an advocate for long-term residents at facilities in Kane County.

During an investigation, Illinois State Police identified several suspicious transactions by Pfingston from the victim’s bank accounts, including an attempted $15,000 wire transfer and a $4,000 cashed check, according to a statement from the agency following her arrest in December.

Pfingston receives credit for 108 days served at the Kane County Jail, where she’s been since her arrest in lieu of $100,000 bail, prosecutors said. She was also ordered to pay $33,734.52 in restitution.