BARTON — A Barre woman pleaded guilty Thursday to using more than $84,000 in stolen funds to purchase a home in Barton and a new vehicle after defrauding an elderly victim who had lost a son.
Jessica Russell, 42, admitted to two counts of wire fraud before Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss. Prosecutors said Russell gained the victim’s trust by calling her “mom” and falsely claiming she had lost a child, similar to the victim’s experience.
After obtaining power of attorney and opening a joint account as the victim’s health and mental state declined, Russell used $68,000 from the sale of the victim’s home to purchase a house in Barton, which she falsely claimed to have bought with her own money or inherited. She spent an additional $16,000 on a 2017 Mitsubishi SUV, also putting it in her name.
The victim’s account had contained more than $132,000 from the sale of their home before Russell’s fraudulent purchases. Court records show Russell continued to represent the SUV as her own when communicating with a car dealership about repairs last year.
Russell faces sentencing on June 12 in Burlington. The case was investigated by Homeland Security and the Vermont State Police.