Wisconsin woman charged with swindling Minnesota relative

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Wisconsin woman is being charged with swindling her 97-year-old mother-in-law in Minnesota and using the money at casinos.

The Pioneer Press reports that 68-year-old Deborah Ann Steele was charged in Ramsey County District Court with 10 counts relating to taking $345,000 from a vulnerable adult.

Court records say Steele married the St. Paul woman's sick son in 2013. The woman made Steele her sole legal representative in 2015.

Steele withdrew money from a trust fund the woman had created for her son after he died last year. She also withdrew $254,000 from her mother-in-law's accounts.

Casino records show Steele played an average of $180,000 from 2002 to 2014. The gambling increased to $620,000 in 2015 and spiked to $2.5 million last year, which included winnings she reinvested.