Woodbury man accused of stealing more than $400,000 from his 93-year-old father-in-law

A Woodbury man has been accused of stealing more than $400,000 from his father-in-law over several years after taking control of his bank account, according to felony charges filed in Washington County District Court.

Mark A. Rippy, 56, told authorities that father-in-law Peter van Leeuwen, 93, agreed to pay for private school for Rippy’s four children. But the amount of money withdrawn from Van Leeuwen’s account, $420,147, was significantly higher, according to the criminal complaint.

During a search of Rippy’s home, investigators found a Home Depot credit card in Van Leeuwen’s name on a nightstand by his bed and a blank check from his father-in-law’s account in his wallet.

They also found several credit cards and lines of credit open in Van Leeuwen’s name but linked to Rippy’s address. The cards were at their credit limit and totaled about $50,000.

Rippy has been charged with 14 counts of theft and his first court appearance is scheduled for September 16. The complaint said an investigation is ongoing and more charges could be filed.

Rippy could not be reached for comment Friday.

Authorities were alerted by Van Leeuwen’s son Patrick, who visited from California in June 2023 and discovered his sick father. Patrick van Leeuwen said he came to Minnesota to help while his sister, Maria Rippy, and her husband, Mark, vacationed in Europe. The Rippys live near Van Leeuwen.

After Van Leeuwen told his son that he hadn’t seen any of his bank statements “in a long time,” they obtained two years of records from US Bank and were told that the account’s contact information had been changed to Mark Rippy .