Gadsden woman draws prison sentence for stealing mother's assets

A Gadsden woman pleaded guilty on Friday to financial exploitation of her late mother while she was conservator of her mother's assets, according to a news release from Attorney General Steve Marshall.

Gina Cook Gilbert, 63, drew a five-year prison sentence for first-degree financial exploitation of an elderly person, a Class B felony, with an additional two years of probation.

Gilbert became conservator over the finances of her mother, Patricia Jerome, in October 2014, according to the release. Four years later, authorities found that she had used Jerome's assets for personal expenses and had breached her fiduciary duties as conservator.

Gilbert admitted during a civil lawsuit in the case and during a subsequent criminal investigation that she couldn't account for more than $2.5 million of her mother's money. She repaid the funds at the end of the civil case; her mother died in 2019. Gilbert was arrested in 2020.

Marshall commended Deputy Attorney General John Kachelman and the Attorney General's Investigation Division for their efforts in the prosecution.