WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced in Sedgwick County District Court for stealing more than $21,000 from his mother in a nursing home.

On Tuesday, John M. Queen, 53, Wichita, was placed on probation for five years and ordered to pay back the money in monthly payments, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.

Judge Kevin O’Connor told Queen he could serve five months in a Kansas prison if he violates his probation. Queen pleaded no contest to felony theft in April. As part of the plea negotiations, prosecutors dismissed related charges. According to information released at the sentencing hearing,

Queen was the durable power of attorney for his mother in 2015 and 2016. He was responsible for paying her bill at a Wichita nursing home. The Kansas Department of Children and Families (DCF) launched an investigation after the nursing home reported the victim’s bill was not being paid, putting her at risk of being evicted. DCF then referred the case to the District Attorney’s office for criminal charges. Investigator Andrea Riedel of the District Attorney’s office testified that bank records showed Queen withdrew thousands in cash from his mother’s account and made dozens of charges at restaurants and stores.