Larry J. Bekis, accused of swindling more than $100,000 from his elderly mother, stood contrite before Ramsey County District Judge Paulette Flynn at his sentencing hearing Thursday afternoon.

He pleaded guilty in April to one count of felony theft by swindle. The agreement called for a stay-of-imposition sentence and a maximum of 30 days in jail.

Bekis, of St. Paul, asked only for some consideration in his turn-in date. His 16-year-old daughter's last day of school is Tuesday, he told the judge, and he wanted to make some arrangements.

Flynn said she would abide by the plea agreement, but ordered Bekis, 51, taken into custody immediately.

An affidavit for restitution submitted to the court Monday asked for more than $80,000 in restitution. The judge left that matter open for 30 days and said Bekis could request a hearing if he disagrees with the amount.

According to the charges filed in January, Nora Bekis, then 83, gave her son power of attorney in July 2006. She moved into the Rose of Sharon nursing home in Roseville in October 2006, and Larry Bekis signed an agreement to pay her bills there.

But Bekis made no payments to the nursing home, while the bill ran to more than $49,000 between March 2007 and March 2008, the complaint said.

The charges said adult protection officials learned Bekis was receiving his mother's Social Security and pension checks, totaling about $3,000 per month. He took out a reverse mortgage on his mother's home in Lauderdale and took more than $100,000 between Jan. 1, 2007, and Oct. 31, 2007. He also drained his mother's bank account of almost $10,000 between Sept. 25, 2007, and Dec. 31, 2007, leaving her with a balance of $86.25.

"Bekis denied intentionally exploiting his mother and said he is just very poor at managing money," the complaint said.

On Thursday, Flynn ordered Bekis to serve up to five years on probation and gave him credit for the one day he has spent in custody.

Bekis' case was the first case prosecuted by the Ramsey County attorney office's new elderly abuse unit.

Pat Pheifer • 612-741-4992