COLONIE — Four family members face theft charges after, police
said, they took a credit card from two elderly relatives and used it for a spending spree.The victims, age 85 and 81, were a husband and wife whose card was used for as much as $12,000 worth of purchases.

The case remains under investigation and more charges are possible, Lt. Robert Winn said.

Both victims are deaf, and the wife is also blind. The suspects are the victim's daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons.

To conceal what they were doing, police say, the family members intercepted the credit card bills.

The suspects are Margaret L. Ryan, 51; Patrick J. Ryan, 58; Kevin B. Ryan, 20, and Daniel P. Ryan, 23.

They are charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree, a felony, and petit larceny, a misdemeanor.

Margaret, Patrick and Kevin Ryan also are charged with conspiracy in the fifth degree, a misdemeanor.

The charges stem from purchases made on four separate dates at the Price Chopper on Albany Shaker Road.

"We
were able to prove all four of them had possession of the card on four
separate dates," Winn said. Price Chopper had surveillance footage that
showed each family member using the card, he said.

Typically, police would wait longer to build up more information on what other
purchases were being made, Winn said, but investigators wanted to act
before the elderly relatives' bills got any higher.

The four suspects were arraigned Wednesday in Colonie Town Court. All but Daniel
Ryan posted $5,000 bail. He remains in Albany County Jail.The
court also issued orders of protection banning all four family members
from contacting the victims, and two of them were arrested on charges of
violating that order.

"When one of my investigators went to the house to speak to the victims, Margaret and Kevin were in the house," he said.

Margaret and Kevin Ryan were arrested Thursday on charges criminal contempt in
the second degree, a misdemeanor. They were issued appearance tickets
and released.

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