Pa. woman charged with bilking grandmother, uncle

GILBERTSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — A suburban Philadelphia woman is facing charges she stole nearly $170,000 from her uncle and elderly grandmother to fund vacations and pay car and tuition bills.

Twenty-nine-year-old Joelle Paige Speidel of Pottstown was arraigned today on charges including theft by deception and receiving stolen property. Prosecutors say Speidel used the money to pay tuition at Saint Joseph’s University and cover personal expenses.

Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman says Speidel’s uncle and grandmother asked her help in opening an online brokerage account because of her background in finance. But investigators say Speidel used her own password to misappropriate amounts ranging from $280 to $27,000 monthly.

Speidel is jailed on a $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 22.