PA woman accused of stealing from older relative scammed by person posing as Kevin Costner
A Spring Township woman was accused Wednesday of stealing more than $65,000 from an older relative as part of a scam network that included people who fraudulently posed as actor Kevin Costner.
Carol A. Sumner, 52, was accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars by using an 82-year-old’s bank card and peer-to-peer payment services like PayPal and Cash App, township police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause.
Sumner admitted to sending the money from the relative’s account, telling a detective she was “in a bad spot with the scammers,” police wrote. Some of the money was sent to people in California, Tennessee and Africa.
She believed at least one of the people was Costner from the show “Yellowstone,” police wrote.
The amount stolen between June 2020 and January, police wrote, could be higher. Sumner estimated she sent about $100,000.
There was “no reason” for large cash withdrawals from the account, police wrote. Bank statements showed few, if any, withdrawals until Sumner gained access to the account, police wrote.
Sumner said she was the only person with access to the account, police wrote.
“Yes, I screwed up,” police quoted Sumner as saying. “... I had no money, I had to do something.”
Sumner, police wrote, later added: “Just arrest me and be done.”
No defense lawyer was listed. A message was left with a phone number listed for Sumner.
Sumner was charged with one felony count each of financial exploitation of an older adult or a care dependent person, theft, access device fraud and criminal use a communication facility.
She was arraigned by District Judge Kelley Gillette-Walker, who released her on $500,000 bail. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 22.