Bucks County hospital employee stole more than $130K from patient convicted of killing 2 sons, DA says
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A former Pennsylvania psychiatric hospital employee stole more than $130,000 from a woman convicted of killing her two sons in Bucks County in 2022, prosecutors said.
Trinh Nguyen, 41, was being held at Norristown State Hospital for a mental health evaluation and awaiting sentencing for her sons’ fatal shootings when hospital employee Bridget N. Compton, 51, stole her money, according to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said Compton diverted five checks totaling $132,480.01 from Nguyen’s account into her own over two months. Compton was charged with theft and forgery offenses on Dec. 19.
Investigators reviewed communication between Compton and Nguyen and couldn’t find evidence that Nguyen had allowed her to take the money, prosecutors said.
Compton later admitted to police that she impersonated Nguyen in phone calls with Nguyen’s bank, authorizing them to send checks to Compton’s mother, according to the district attorney’s office. Prosecutors said Compton retrieved the checks from her mother and cashed them at Cottman Check Cashing in Philadelphia.
Nguyen said she needed Compton’s help changing her address so she could continue getting account-related mail, but never told her she could have money from her account, prosecutors said.
Compton told investigators she spent all of the stolen money — mostly on a $10,000 gift to her mother and a family vacation to Puerto Rico, according to the district attorney’s office.
“I did it. I’m not going to lie,” Compton told investigators, according to court documents. “I got the money in July and was broke by Christmas…. that’s how quick it went.”
Nguyen’s ex-husband reported the thefts in November, prosecutors said.
Nguyen is serving two life sentences for shooting her sons, 9-year-old Nelson Tini and 13-year-old Jeffrey Tini, in their beds on May 2, 2022. The boys died days later.