Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced that Michael Goonan, 63, of Commack, pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, for stealing more than half a million dollars from his parents that were earmarked to pay the nursing home where his mother resided. According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions during his guilty plea allocution, starting in May 2018, Goonan stole a total of $600,480 from his parents’ bank accounts by having certified and personal checks issued payable to himself that were then deposited into his own account.
Goonan’s mother had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, and his father was experiencing memory and cognitive decline. Goonan used the money he stole from his parents to pay for personal expenses including his mortgage and college tuition for his children. In August 2018, Goonan’s mother became a full-time resident of a nursing home. Although Goonan initially made some payments to the facility, he ultimately stopped paying when he depleted his parents’ bank account putting his mother at risk of losing her room at the nursing home, which is how his crimes were uncovered.