Woman from South Carolina who admitted to role in swindling money from Wichita widow to be sentenced today

(AP) – A South Carolina woman who admitted to helping to swindle an elderly Wichita-area widow out of more than half a million dollars in a romance scam is due to be sentenced today in Sedgwick County District Court. Sixty-eight-year-old Kathy Heistand pleaded guilty in May to the mistreatment of an elder person and theft. Court records say a 74-year-old recently widowed woman was contacted on Facebook in 2020 by someone with whom she began an online romance. He then asked for money that was funneled through Heistand. Prosecutors say they are recommending probation because Heistand had a lesser role in the fraud and helped with the investigation.