Joseph Barlow, 69, took the money from his 97-year-old cousin’s accounts so that he could start his own funeral home.
Joseph Barlow HIGHTSTOWN — A man who took $750,000 from his elderly cousin after he gained control over her estate received a five-year suspended sentence today and will spend the next five weekends in prison instead.
Joseph Barlow, 69, took the money from his 97-year-old cousin’s accounts so that he could start his own funeral home after he gained power of attorney in 2010.
Barlow, who lives in Cranbury, was granted power of attorney because of how close he lived to his relative. He claimed that this use of her money constituted a legitimate investment, but prosecutors said it was too risky and not in accord with the power of attorney.
Barlow resisted pleading guilty for almost a year after he was arrested, but changed his plea just before his trial was set to start in May. He accepted a plea deal of a suspended five-year sentence that would require him to spend five weekends in the Mercer County Correction Center and pay back the money he took from her.
The prosecution has said that they did not want him to be locked away, because it would prevent him from being able to pay back the money he took.
Barlow’s attorney, Hal Haveson, said that Barlow misperceived the situation, and that he did not intend to use this money solely for his own benefit, but also intended for it to grow as an investment for his cousin.
Though it was a misguided use of the victim’s money, Haveson said, Barlow always intended to pay her back and take care of her.
The victim’s great niece, Sue Ann Arecchi, said that she was speaking on the victim’s behalf in court.
“I watched as (the victim) struggled to comprehend what happened to her,” Arecchi said.
She understood what happened, Arecchi said, but she could not figure out why Barlow would do what he did.
“Why would a man she trusted so unconditionally steal from her,” Arecchi said.
Contact Brendan McGrath at (609)989-5731 or at bmcgrath@njtimes.com.
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