Upper Pottsgrove Man Stole $100,000 In Life Insurance From Disabled Teen: Officials

UPPER POTTSGROVE TOWNSHIP, PA — A Montgomery County man stole more than $100,000 from his disabled teenage stepson, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office announced.

Christopher O. Johnson, 38, of Upper Pottsgrove, has been charged with financial exploitation of a care dependent person and related counts.

The 19-year-old victim has suffered from lifelong cognitive and neurodevelopmental disabilities, authorities said, and has relied on others for care his entire life.

When the boy's mother died from a stroke in 2019, he began receiving life insurance payouts.

But over a three month period, Johnson began pocketing those payouts for himself, taking more than $100,000 altogether, according to officials.

“(Johnson) was once a parental figure for the victim," Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a statement. "But instead of protecting a vulnerable young man during an incredibly difficult time, he exploited the victim’s disability for his own financial gain."

Johnson was arrested Monday, June 1. He was arraigned and released on $25,000 bail on condition he have no contact with the victim.

A preliminary hearing is forthcoming.