DALLAS (AP) — A man who befriended an elderly Dallas socialite has been sentenced to 30 days in jail in a dispute over her estate.
A judge in Dallas sentenced Mark McCay, who was convicted last month of attempted theft. McCay was also sentenced to four years of probation and fined $1,000.
Prosecutors had sought 10 years of prison for McCay, who was sentenced Friday.
The trial involved the 2005 death of 88-year-old Mary Ellen Bendtsen and her historic 7,000-square-foot Swiss Ave. mansion. Officials say McCay had been friends with Bendtsen for about 15 years.
The Dallas Morning News (http://bit.ly/QoyKn8 ) reports McCay was accused of convincing Bendtsen, who suffered a stroke, of leaving him part of her 1917 home.
Bendtsen's only child sold the house last year for $525,000.
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Information from: The Dallas Morning News, http://www.dallasnews.com
