A Waterloo woman will go to prison for stealing from an elderly relative who was living at Tripoli Nursing and Rehabilitation, according to the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. 56 year old Shanan Smith held power of attorney for the family member. She used the family member’s money to fuel her gambling addiction. When the nursing home bill went into the red, Smith sold the victim’s home to pay it off, but used the remainder for her own personal use. Smith also received three deposits from the relative’s Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System benefits. In total, Smith stole $54,000. She has been sentenced to three years and one month in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. As part of her release she will not be able to enter a casino, participate in lotteries, dog racing, sports betting, card games, or other forms of gambling. The family member died in 2019.
