MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A Missoula woman convicted of paying off her debts with more than $141,000 she obtained from a reverse mortgage on her mother’s house has been given a 10-year suspended sentence and ordered to repay $100,000.

Paulette Homer Ford was found guilty of exploiting an elder person in January. Prosecutors alleged Ford took advantage of her mother’s dementia to take out the reverse mortgage and used the money to pay off debts and purchase property.

The Missoulian reports (http://bit.ly/Ly8I3q ) Ford was sentenced Tuesday by District Judge Karen Townsend.

Prosecutors sought a 10-year sentence with eight suspended and restitution of nearly $208,000, including attorneys’ fees paid by Ford’s relatives in the battle over control of their mother’s care and assets.

Ford’s attorney, Lisa Kauffman, says she plans to file an appeal.

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Information from: Missoulian, http://www.missoulian.com

Article source: http://www.kulr8.com/news/state/162863596.html