NEWS / New York woman uses power of attorney to steal nearly $22,000

A 72-year-old New York woman is accused of abusing her power of attorney to steal $21,914.91 from an 87-year-old victim, a resident of the Village of Jordan, Town of Elbidge, County of Onondaga.

The alleged perpetrator, Debra J. Dzikoski, has been charged with third-degree larceny. Police started investigating the matter in April after the victim discovered unauthorized withdrawals from her checking account that eventually left the account in the red.

The victim used a power of attorney to appoint Dzikoski to help them with bill payments in 2024 but did not authorize the attorney-in-fact to use their debit card for personal expenses, New York State Trooper Police stated, as quoted by Finger Lakes 1. The investigation revealed that in March 2025, Dzikoski appeared start engaging in unauthorized ATM withdrawals, casino transactions, and overdraft charges. Dzikoski most notable allegedly used the victim’s account to engage in gambling in the Syracuse metropolitan area and other casinos across Central and Western New York.

Dzikoski was arraigned at the Centralized Arraignment Part (CAP) Court and also appeared in Elbridge Town Court in June.

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