A 72-year-old man was sentenced this week for scheming a fellow resident at his St. Paul assisted-living facility out of thousands of dollars and access to pain medication.
Peter Robert Arnoldi was sentenced Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court to a stayed sentence of nearly two years in prison for financially exploiting an 82-year-old woman living with dementia, according to court documents.
The two were both residents at the Dellwood Gardens Assisted Living facility in St. Paul when Arnoldi got wind of a large sum of money the woman had received in a property sale.
Having previously never spoken to the woman, Arnoldi suddenly began calling himself her boyfriend and made plans for the two of them to move to Cottage Grove together, court documents say.
He also drafted paperwork to give him power of attorney over her affairs.
Before getting caught, Arnoldi had manipulated her out of $5,300 in checks, a $23,000 SUV and “lots of” oxycodone pills that had been prescribed to the woman, documents say.
When police contacted the woman, she initially said she believed Arnoldi intended to pay her back for the items. She also said she was “head over heels” for him and enjoyed his friendship.
When questioned again later, she couldn’t remember Arnoldi’s name nor writing checks to him or buying the car.
The scheme took place between May and July.
Arnoldi pleaded guilty in October.
His criminal history includes convictions for theft, burglary and check forgery.
Arnoldi could not be reached for comment.