Swissvale Man Charged with Theft From Deceased Son's Estate

Anthony McKinstry, 53, of Swissvale is awaiting arraignment following his arrest Friday morning after the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office accused him of stealing funds from his deceased son’s estate to purchase an automobile from Rohrich Toyota in 2009.

McKinstry, who lives at 2703 Woodstock Ave., is charged with theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received and misapplication of entrusted property and property of government or financial institutions. He is accused of misappropriating $37,500 from the estate bank account, including $25,000 that he used toward purchase of the car, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday by the district attorney’s office.

When Tony McKinstry, the suspect’s son, died in 2008 at age 29 without a will, he left behind two minor children. Anthony McKinstry and the children’s mother, Julie Ludovici, were appointed as co-administrators of the estate bank account at PNC Bank.

When Pittsburgh attorney Marvin Abrams began to prepare the estate accounting, he discovered a discrepancy in the amount of remaining funds, according to the complaint. Abrams told investigators that Orphans’ Court removed McKinstry as co-administrator of the estate last July after he admitted making unauthorized withdrawals.

After obtaining records from Rohrich Toyota in Pittsburgh, investigators learned that McKinstry had purchased a 2010 Toyota Camry about Nov. 3, 2009. Through bank records, investigators were able to trace checks written to Rohrich that corresponded to withdrawals from the estate account.

The complaint states that $1.37 remains in the account.

No bond or hearing date has been set.