Belle Vernon man accused of stealing $500K from his mother
A Belle Vernon man, along with his wife and son, allegedly emptied his mother’s bank account over a four-year period, buying a luxury car and real estate, and gambling.
State police on Thursday charged Todd Reppert, 56; his wife Laura Reppert, 55; and their son Ty Reppert, 29, with stealing $500,009.41 from Donna Reppert between January 2019 and January 2023. During that time, Todd Reppert had power of attorney over his mother’s affairs.
The trio is accused of using the funds to purchase a BMW, invest in real estate, support their family business and gamble.
“(Defendants) not only treated the victim’s bank account as (their) own, but also made attempts and at times did achieve taking funds which were disbursed to the victim from multiple sources, consisting of the Social Security Administration, Erie Insurance and the victim’s inherited Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation pension,” Trooper Anthony Sayles wrote in charging documents.
According to the complaint, Donna Reppert was placed in a nursing home in Washington Township, Fayette County in August 2019, and in the following March, her home on Jacobs Street caught fire.
She received a $400,000 settlement from her Erie Insurance, and Todd Reppert allegedly offered his two brothers, who were unnamed in the complaint, $100,000 each and told them he would use the remaining funds for their mother’s nursing home bills.
Police reported that both brothers declined and urged Todd to give their mother all the money since it was related to her home. They later noticed that Todd, his wife and son were making large purchases, including home improvements and expanding their appliance and furniture business.
In June 2021, the brothers contacted an attorney to investigate their mother’s finances but were told that Todd Reppert’s actions were legal. They later discovered the attorney also represented Todd and Laura Reppert in bankruptcy proceedings.
In July 2022, the nursing home notified one of Donna Reppert’s sons that she would be moved to a state-run facility due to non-payment, and also said her medication bills were unpaid. That son started paying for the medications and the nursing home.
After hiring a new lawyer, the brothers learned in December 2022 that Donna Reppert’s entire account had been depleted, including funds from her pension, Social Security, and insurance disbursements.
In January 2023, a Fayette County judge removed Todd Reppert from his role as power of attorney.
Sayles said his investigation found “an exorbitant amount” of transitions on Donna Reppert’s accounts over the four-year period her son Todd Reppert acted as her power of attorney, including checks written to the defendants, to Reppert Appliance & Furniture and Chicago Mattress, as well as transactions on betting apps, ATM withdrawals and wire transfers.
Court paperwork also contended that Todd Reppert “gambles heavily,” and noted that in January 2024, he filed a police report alleging there were fraudulent transactions on his bank account related to gambling apps. The complaint indicated police were able to identify the IP addresses associated with the transactions as ones he used to access the internet.
Todd Reppert faces 25 charges, including corrupt organizations, theft, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities and conspiracy. He was arraigned Thursday by District Judge Richard Kasunic II and is lodged in the Fayette County jail in lieu of $200,000 bond.
The charges lodged against Ty Reppert and Laura Reppert include dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, financial exploitation of an older adult or care-dependent person, theft and conspiracy.
Ty Reppert was arraigned Friday and is in the Fayette County jail in lieu of a $75,000 bond. Laura Reppert was also arraigned Friday and was released on a $50,000 unsecured bond.