PITTSBURGH — A live-in caretaker is facing a claim she embezzled funds from her client's bank account.
The Estate of Earl F. Styen, Jr., by Matthew R. Styen, administrator filed a complaint Nov. 19 against Sandy Leigh Ackerman and Stephen Alan Neustein alleging conversion and negligence.
According to the plaintiff's complaint, Ackerman was hired in 2014 by Earl Styen, Jr., as a "live-in" caretaker and she and her adult son lived with him at his home in Pittsburgh from 2014 through January 2021. The plaintiff alleges that Ackerman had no legal interest in Styen's funds yet fraudulently wrote checks to herself totaling $243,250 between December 2017 and January 2021.
The plaintiff further alleges that Neustein, who was attorney-in fact for Earl Styen, Jr., failed to examine Styen's bank statements for any irregularities or suspicious activity including recognizing the large sums of money being taken out of Styen's account. The plaintiff also claims if Neustein had "reasonably and prudently carried out his duties," Ackerman's alleged embezzlement scheme would have been discovered earlier.
The plaintiff alleges that Neustein also failed to tell Styen that he was not reviewing his bank account statements so that he could have reviewed them himself or appointed another person to examine the bank records.
The plaintiff is represented by Peter Georgiades of Wayman, Irvin & McAuley LLC in Pittsburgh.