Jennifer Ahrendt, 46, of Trent, S.D., has been sentenced following a guilty plea entered on May 21 for the crime of theft by exploitation of an elder or adult with a disability, a Class 4 Felony, according to a press release from South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg's Office.
Ahrendt was entrusted under a power of attorney to handle the financial affairs of her elderly, now deceased, grandmother. Between Dec. 29, 2016, to May 11, 2018, Ahrendt took money from the accounts she was managing on behalf of her grandmother and used the funds for herself, including gambling away a large portion of the funds.
The case was investigated by the South Dakota Attorney General’s Division of Criminal Investigation Elder and Adults with Disabilities Abuse and Financial Exploitation Investigation Unit, which included numerous interviews, review of legal documents, bank records and more.
Ahrendt was sentenced to 180 days in the county jail, all of which was suspended on the condition that she be placed on probation for a period of 10 years, pay full restitution in the amount of $115,899.13 and not manage any finances other than her own while on probation.