The disabled stepmother of Groton resident Cheryl Galvin told a Superior Court judge Wednesday that Galvin had used her "as an ATM machine," left her hungry and helpless in an apartment, and stole her dignity after being appointed to handle her finances.

Galvin, 54, had pleaded guilty to second-degree larceny and stood before New London Judge Hillary B. Strackbein for sentencing. Under a plea agreement worked out between prosecutor David J. Smith and defense attorney Sebastian O. DeSantis, Galvin received a suspended prison sentence and was ordered to make restitution payments of $100 a month while serving five years of probation.

Groton Town Police charged Galvin in 2015 after determining that Galvin drained her stepmother Sandra Galvin's bank accounts, obtained credit cards in her name and failed to pay the victim's household expenses. Galvin's father had appointed his daughter power of attorney over his wife's finances before he died in 2012.

Sandra Galvin, who said she suffers from a seizure disorder, can't drive and uses a walker to get around, attended the sentencing in a wheelchair with her biological daughter. The daughter, who said she is raising her own children, took over care of her mother when Galvin left Sandra Galvin without food and refused to take her to doctors' appointments or help her shower regularly, according to testimony.

At the request of her terminally ill father, Galvin had gone to Virginia in 2012 to help her father and stepmother, according to testimony. She sold the couple's house after her father's death and moved Sandra Galvin to an apartment in Groton. Sandra Galvin said she never saw the paperwork on the home sale and didn't realize how much money Galvin had spent after her husband gave Galvin their ATM card and checkbook.

Once in Connecticut, Sandra Galvin said Galvin provided her at first with food and rides to medical appointments, but then "completely disregarded taking care."

"I was just used as an ATM machine," she said.

She called her own daughter for help after being left without food for three days. Her family found her a place to live, she said, but because of the many thousands of dollars that Galvin stole from her, she is dependent on Social Security and her husband's pension and is not able to live the lifestyle to which she was accustomed.

Galvin was initially charged with embezzling $45,000. She had vigorously denied some of the accusations, saying that most of the expenditures she made were authorized. The case had nearly gone to trial when Galvin accepted the plea offer sparing her prison time and requiring her to repay $6,000.

Interviewed by police prior to her arrest, Galvin said that she had her stepmother's permission "nine times out of 10" to withdraw money and make purchases on debit and credit cards. Galvin said Sandra Galvin gave her permission to pay her daughter's phone and cable bills and that she used the stepmother's money to buy tires, pay for moving expenses, cellphone bills and car insurance. Galvin told police she had become overwhelmed and made mistakes after her bills backed up, and that she would repay her stepmother.

Judge Strackbein told Galvin it was an egregious misuse of her stepmother's trust, and that even if only half of what Sandra Galvin said is true, her conduct was still terrible. Strackbein ordered Galvin to have no contact with the victim or her family, to undergo a mental health evaluation and treatment, if deemed necessary, and to not use alcohol or drugs while on probation.

k.florin@theday.com