Caregiver for Greensburg man accused of $5K theft

A Latrobe woman who has a history of theft charges is accused of taking $5,000 from a Greensburg man for whom she was providing care, according to police.

Britnee M. Silvis, 35, was charged this week with access device fraud, theft and receiving stolen property.

Greensburg police said the man reported Nov. 30 that Silvis was his caregiver between August 2022 and October 2023 and he believed money was missing from his bank account, according to court papers.

Silvis had access to the man’s debit card so she could make purchases, such as groceries and toiletries, for him but he never gave her permission to make large cash withdrawals or get cash back at stores, police said. The maximum he would request in cash was $20 for laundry, according to court papers.

Investigators determined there was $5,000 taken from his account over a year. Silvis admitted to making withdrawals at ATMs in Greensburg, according to court papers.

The charges were sent by summons to Silvis. She did not have an attorney listed in court records. A preliminary hearing is set for March 21.

Silvis has a significant criminal history involving theft charges dating back to 2006, according to online court records. She was sentenced in 2020 to two to four years in a state prison on theft charges related to a 2019 incident in Unity. Then, Silvis was arrested for stealing a car and trying to use credit cards she found inside of it to get cash, gift cards and food.

It appears she was released from prison sometime in 2021.

Silvis has been making regular payments on her costs and fees, including the most recent one on Jan. 5.