A man from Philadelphia was arrested after he allegedly stole millions of dollars from a woman with dementia. After stealing that money, he then spent it on plastic surgery and other luxuries. 66-year-old James Batt ran off with a whopping $3.7 million from 92-year-old Alice Lineman before and after her death in 2019.
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How A Man Spent Millions Of Stolen Money From A Dementia Patient
According to PEOPLE, police arrested the man from Flourtown on Wednesday, April 23. Although he was named executor for Lineman's will, he failed to divide the funds according to her will. Batt allegedly spent his stolen money on things like plastic surgery, alcohol, gourmet restaurants, expensive vacations, and much more.
The authorities found out about the scam after Lineman's family attempted to sue Batt for not paying out their inheritance. Apart from granting a $150,000 payment to a beneficiary in Lineman's will, Batt didn't give out any more money.
After conducting an investigation, the Montgomery County Detective Bureau discovered that Batt was Lineman's friend. He knew of her dementia, and was a huge beneficiary of her estate on top of being the executor.
Prior to her death, Batt spent $30,003 on her American Express account. He also added his significant other to the account as an authorized user while changing the address to his residence. Not only that, but Batt took out $884,743 from Lineman's Wells Fargo account and $156,068 from her Morgan Stanley one.
Man Stole Millions From Woman With Dementia Before And After Her Death
The most amount of withdrawals came after her death. Batt allegedly wrote $592,400 worth of checks to himself from her Wells Fargo account. From the Morgan Stanley account, Batt stole $1,384,435. He then made even more transactions from her American Express account, totalling $490,632.
If you add all of that up, the total amount of money that Batt stole from Lineman was $3,715,318. "This defendant took advantage of an elderly woman suffering from senile dementia by stealing more than $3.7 million from her and her estate," said Kevein Steele, Montgomery County District Attorney, in a statement. "Thereby draining the assets available to Ms. Lineman, her estate and her heirs."
In 2023, then again in March 2025, a judge found Batt in contempt of court, according to the Daily Mail. They issued a warrant out for his arrest and charged Batt with a myriad of felonies: Financial Exploitation of an Older Adult, Theft by Unlawful Taking, Receiving Stolen Property, Misapplication of Entrusted Property and Theft by Failure to Make Required Dispositions.
They arraigned Batt on April 21, 2025, and Judge Dara A. Nasatir set a bail of $99,000 for him. After Batt failed to make bail, they put him in custody at Montgomery County Correctional Facility. His next court date is May 6.
