BILLINGS -- Former state legislator and Billings community volunteer Sharon Estrada, who for years delivered Christmas gift baskets to families battling cancer, was accused Tuesday in federal court of cleaning out the life savings of her ailing, elderly stepfather.

Estrada was indicted on two counts of a wire fraud scheme and two counts of mail fraud alleged to have occurred from February to May.

Estrada did not appear for her arraignment, but her attorney, Jack Sands, entered not guilty pleas on her behalf. Estrada was moving from her home in Las Vegas to Washington state, Sands said.

The indictment also named Estrada's son, Pete Van Haren, but he died on June 14 at age 43, eight days before the indictment was filed under seal. Information on the cause of his death was not available.

If convicted, Estrada faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to the indictment, Estrada and her son defrauded Esquiel Estrada, 93, who was bedridden, suffering from heart problems and unable to manage his affairs.

Esquiel Estrada was married to Sharon's mother and had four children with her, Sharon Estrada told The Gazette in a 2002 story about her search for siblings. Sharon lived with the family and considered Esquiel Estrada to be her father. She did not know her biological father.

The indictment outlines a scheme in which Estrada made misrepresentations or lied to steal from her stepfather. She fraudulently used a power of attorney allegedly signed by her stepfather in 1980, made false representations to close her stepfather's savings account and transfer the money to a cashier's check in her name and stole, forged and used his Visa credit card.

Estrada transferred money between accounts held by her and her son to hide the thefts, withdrew money from her stepfather's checking account without his knowledge, drafted a new living will naming herself and her son as Esquiel Estrada's health care agents without his knowledge and took property purchased with her stepfather's money from Billings to Las Vegas.

Prosecutors also say Sharon Estrada tried to obstruct efforts to reclaim the money and property.

Estrada allegedly used her stepfather's Visa card to buy $506 worth of pharmaceuticals prescribed to her and deposited a check for $19,081, which was her stepfather's life's savings, into a joint account she held with her son. Then she transferred $10,000 from the joint account to a savings account held solely by Van Haren.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn Ostby allowed Estrada to remain free until trial with orders that she contact a probation officer as soon as she completes her move.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Archer did not object to the release but said the government did not want Estrada's move to slow the case.

In the 1990s, Estrada was active in the Republican Party and state politics. She was elected to the state Senate in 1994 from former Senate District 7. She lost her race for re-election in the 1998 primary to John Bohlinger, who is now lieutenant governor. In 2000, she was the co-chair of the Yellowstone County Republican Central Committee.

A breast cancer survivor, Estrada raised awareness about cancer and for at least 15 years assembled and delivered gift baskets at Christmas to families coping with the disease.

The case will be heard by U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull.