According to an article in the Boulder Daily Camera, John Byrne, 62, formerly of Boulder, has pleaded guilty to felony and misdemeanor theft for stealing from his elderly mother-in-law.

His mother-in-law, retired University of Colorado professor Charlotte Short, 94, suffers from dementia and is in nursing care in Boulder, said Jane Walsh, director of community protection for the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office.

Byrne, who was married to Short’s daughter before the daughter passed away, was given power of attorney over Short’s estate in 2005.

He drained her assets, took out loans on her house and stopped paying for her nursing care, taking about $578,000, Walsh said. Short’s late husband’s family stepped in to sort out her affairs, she said, and uncovered the theft.

His sentencing is set for Feb. 1. He faces up to six years in jail.