Verona woman pleads guilty to stealing $372,000 from ailing father

STAUNTON — A woman who stole more than $372,000 from her ailing father and then violated her bail by allegedly selling his truck to raise money for an attorney pleaded guilty last week in Augusta County Superior Court.

Ashley E. Cook, 47, of Verona, was convicted on a charge of financial exploitation of a mentally disabled adult. Ten other forgery charges were not prosecuted.

Cook was sentenced to eight years in prison, with all but two months and 15 days suspended, and ordered to pay restitution to her father’s estate. After being incarcerated in May, she was given credit for time served and was released from Middle River Regional Jail on Thursday, July 18, after pleading guilty.

Augusta County Deputy District Attorney Alexandra Meador said Cook had no criminal history before she was sentenced last week. She also said Virginia’s recommended sentence in the case was light, resulting in a short prison sentence.

“Her sentence falls within the guidelines,” Meador said. “We take the exploitation of vulnerable adults very seriously. If she fails to meet her obligations to pay restitution, we will seek additional prison time.”

Meador also noted that it was an intra-family matter, saying that Cook was the legal heir to her father’s estate and likely still is. “He didn’t ask for her to be prosecuted,” Meador said.

The prosecutor said Cook essentially gave herself an early inheritance through what she described as a legal misunderstanding. “It doesn’t make it right, and that’s why she was convicted of a felony,” Meador said. “But it’s categorically a little bit different than other types of cases.”

Authorities first arrested Cook in March on theft charges after she was indicted by an Augusta County grand jury on the original 11 counts. She was released on $5,000 bail.

But in May, Cook was jailed after she allegedly swapped the license plate on her father’s truck for about $20,000 and sold the vehicle at a local dealership to raise money to pay her previous attorney, said Hanna Harris, an Augusta County assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case.

“That money has been paid back,” Harris said in Augusta County Superior Court last week.

Cook’s father has cognitive issues. According to Harris, Cook used her father’s money to make numerous purchases at Walmart, Amazon, Instacart and clothing stores.

The thefts began in 2019, the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office said, when Cook began transferring money from her father’s bank account to hers. Cook also used her father’s debit and credit cards to make purchases. Adult Protective Services reported Cook to authorities.

When Cook was given the chance to address the court, he, appearing on a television screen from jail, declined to make a statement. Cook was represented by Brittney Leach of the Staunton public defender’s office, who said her client had shown remorse.

A hearing will be held in six months to determine whether Cook will pay damages.

More: One dead in Waynesboro shooting, suspect in custody

More: NAACP Staunton Hosts 78th Annual Freedom Fund Banquet

Brad Zinn is the police, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Something that should be investigated? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at [email protected]. You can also follow him on X (formerly Twitter).