WILTON, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A Wilton attorney has been sentenced for stealing funds from her elderly client. Saratoga County District Attorney Karen Heggen said Ellen Zwijacz, 43, of Wilton was sentenced to one year in the Saratoga County Correctional Facility.

Zwijacz pleaded guilty to grand larceny in the second degree in November 2021. As part of her plea agreement, she admitted to stealing funds from an elderly client and her estate from March 2013 through July 2018. Heggen said she stole over $860,000 from the client.

Zwijacz also submitted the false documents to an insurance company to change address and beneficiary information on life insurance policies. She further concealed the theft by filing inaccurate documents as the attorney for the victim’s estate.

In addition to jail time, Zwijacz was ordered to pay back the money she stole in restitution to the victim. Heggen said the $864,581.46 was paid by a third party on behalf of Zwijacz. She also gave up her license to practice law.

“This case should be an example to those working in fiduciary relationships that if they exploit that trusted relationship for their own personal gain, there will be severe consequences,” said Heggen.