Caregiver’s innocent smile hid horrific abuse that was only exposed by TikTok

By Katie Jerkovich

A Southern California caregiver – tasked with caring for a family’s 80-year-old mom – will finally have her day in court, more than a year after dozens of videos posted on TikTok documented months of alleged horrific abuse.

During a hearing in Bakersfield this week, the judge denied a mental health diversion request by caregiver Julie Rothgeb after the terrible acts of her alleged abuse were exposed in more than 50 Ring videos posted on social media generating tens of millions of views.

Rothgeb is facing one misdemeanor count of assault and battery of elder or dependent adult abuse, according to documents obtained by The California Post.

A Southern California caregiver-tasked-with caring for a family’s 80-year-old mom will finally have to face trial. ABC23

Julie Rothgeb is facing one misdemeanor count of assault and battery.

Kern County DA said at the last court hearing, the judge dealt with the caregiver’s attorney’s mental health diversion filing in an effort to bypass trial and go straight to treatment. However, the judge ultimately denied it following the DA’s opposition.

The abuse includes allegations of “smacking” the elderly woman with a flyswatter, emotional, verbal and other physical abuse. There were also allegations that the caregiver forced the older woman to exercise for hours at a time while she was wearing weights on her ankles and wrists, 23ABC in Bakersfield reported. 

Windy Duenas, the victim’s daughter, called the wait for justice “frustrating” noting that “every time there was a court date it was continued.”

Windy Duenas, the victim’s daughter, called the wait for justice “frustrating” noting that “every time there was a court date it was continued.” TIKTOK/@windy_duenas1

“We just feel like there’s no rights for the victim and that everything about this case has been minimized down to nothing, and I have just lost faith in the justice system,” Duenas told the outlet.

“I am upset that we’re here. I am upset that these are the possibilities that are on the table for something so serious and with so much evidence.”

The family said when they first tried to pursue charges against Rothgeb the DA told the daughter there was insufficient evidence, according to the outlet.

“There’s over 50 videos that they had at the time of saying there wasn’t sufficient evidence,” Duenas previously said.

The abuse includes allegations of emotional, verbal and other physical abuse. TikTok/@Wendy_duenes1

A jury trial date has now been set for June 29, 2026. ABC23

In 2025, a new DA reversed course, citing more evidence obtained through additional videos and statements, opting to charge Rothgeb with a misdemeanor, per the report.

“And later, for the same evidence they had the first time, they now say it’s worth going in for a misdemeanor — when it meets all the elements of several felony charges,” Duenas said.

Jeremy Oliver with Kern County Adult and Aging Services said his department investigated thousands of cases of elder abuse last year with dozens more that he said go unreported, per the report.

A jury trial date has now been set for June 29, 2026.

The Post reached out to the county’s Adult and Aging services for further comment.  

Full Article & Source:
Caregiver’s innocent smile hid horrific abuse that was only exposed by TikTok 

Woman accused of stealing thousands from elderly man she was taking care of

by Alika Medina 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Albuquerque police say a 27-year-old woman stole $5,883 from a bedridden older man she was hired to care for.

Police say Gloria Flores faces fraud charges after investigators said she used the man’s credit card for charges at GEICO, Discount Tire and Albertsons.

Sally Linhart, the victim’s daughter, said she learned about the charges after her father’s landlord checked his mail when Flores stopped working in his apartment.

“She’d been using the credit card and the statements had been coming in the mail, so she was intercepting those.” said Linhart.

Linhart said she lives eight hours away in Oklahoma and said Flores admitted through text messages that she took the money.

“I’m going to give you this opportunity. Just admit what you’ve done, pay us back, and it’ll be a lesson learned for you,” said Linhart. However, Linhart said Flores wouldn’t do it.

Linhart said the case felt familiar because someone else stole from her father about three or four years ago and later paid the money back over about 12 months.

“I want to say, three or four years ago, and same thing happened. I contacted the girl, and I said, I know what you’ve done, and she said, please do not call the police. Please do not press charges. I will pay you back. And she did, and so she paid my father back over the course of about 12 months.” said Linhart.

New Mexico Aging Services says elder abuse can take different forms and says the number of cases is not going away.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says $55 million were lost to elder fraud scams in New Mexico in 2025. 

Full Article & Source:
Woman accused of stealing thousands from elderly man she was taking care of

Amato Bill Protecting Seniors and Veterans from Identity Theft Passes Senate

by Carmen Amato 

Legislation sponsored by Senator Carmen Amato, Jr. (R-Ocean) to increase criminal penalties for identity theft crimes committed against senior citizens and veterans was approved by the New Jersey Senate. Assemblyman Brian Rumpf and Assemblyman Gregory Myhre have introduced the companion bill, A-1749. 

S-1526 strengthens penalties for individuals who steal personal identifying information from these vulnerable populations or target records maintained by retirement communities, nursing homes, and veterans' facilities.

"Identity theft can devastate a person's finances, reputation, and sense of security, and seniors and veterans are often among the most vulnerable targets," said Senator Amato. "My legislative district is home to a large population of seniors who have worked their entire lives to build financial stability. They deserve stronger protections and the assurance that New Jersey's laws will hold criminals accountable when they prey on vulnerable residents."

Under the bill, identity theft offenses involving senior citizens or veterans would be elevated to higher-degree crimes, resulting in tougher penalties and longer potential prison sentences. The bill also increases penalties for individuals who unlawfully obtain, manufacture, or distribute personal identifying information taken from records maintained by retirement and long-term care facilities, as well as veterans' facilities. 

The legislation has bipartisan support with Senator Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen, Passaic) as Second Prime Sponsor.

Read the full text of the bill online.

Source:
Amato Bill Protecting Seniors and Veterans from Identity Theft Passes Senate  

Kaplan woman charged with 30 counts of exploiting the elderly

by Lilianna Badeaux

CROWLEY, LA. (KLFY) — Kaplan woman faces 30 counts of exploitation of an elderly man, police said.

Brittani Abshire, 39, of Kaplan was arrested and charged with 30 counts of exploitation of the infirm.

Police reported the elderly person, suffering with dementia, was under the care of Abshire. Evidence later revealed Abshire allegedly seized their assets and stole their money.

Abshire faced $100,000 bond and has been transported to the Acadia Parish Jail. 

Full Article & Source:
Kaplan woman charged with 30 counts of exploiting the elderly 

She trusted her financial advisor with everything. Then he stole $300K.

By Karin Price Mueller 

He promised to take care of her money.

Pay her bills.  

Help her with investments to make sure her money would last.

Instead, he siphoned more than $300,000 from the 90-year-old woman’s accounts. Rather than pay her bills, he used the funds to pay his own, prosecutors alleged.

What John Boston, once a legit financial advisor from Verona, did to his victim is a classic case of elder fraud.

He’s now facing five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000 after his convictions for theft, prosecutors said. Sentencing is later this summer.

“Cases like this demonstrate the devastating impact financial exploitation can have on older adults and their families,” Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Bernard Cooney said in a statement.

The Attorney General’s Office spotlighted the case last week in recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.

The victim was newly flush with cash after inheriting “substantial assets” when her brother died.

Prosecutors alleged Boston, 50, signed a contract with the victim to manage her assets and her financial affairs. He was indeed a registered financial adviser, but he never told his employer, and he never registered the woman as a client — as required by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA.

He convinced the woman to give him a durable financial power of attorney, a document to grant permission to a trusted person to manage your money if you’re ever incapacitated and unable to make your own financial decisions.

Instead of working for her best interests, Boston took out funds through a series of ATM withdrawals, bank transfers and other transactions, prosecutors said. He diverted her Social Security benefits for his own personal use, they said.

It took less than two years.

Elder abuse can come in many forms, but we’re going to stick to financial exploitation here. It causes $28.3 billion in losses annually, a staggering number reported by the National Council on Aging. It defines elder abuse as “an intentional act or failure to act that causes or creates a risk of harm to an older adult.”

Elder financial abuse can happen to anybody, and it’s not only traditional scammers at work.

“Perpetrators can range from close family, extended family, caregiving staff, or strangers,” according to the New Jersey State Library. “They may take money without permission, fail to repay money they owe, charge too much for services, or not do what they were paid to do.”

Elder financial abuse is vastly underreported, the National Adult Protective Services Association said.

Only one in 44 cases is actually reported, it said, and 90% of cases involve family members or others who are trusted — like a trusted financial advisor.

People often don’t report financial losses from fraud because they’re embarrassed. We’ve seen that happen time and time again.

But you can help to protect your loved ones by looking out for some red flags. These 14 warning signs are offered by the American Bankers Association. Look out for:

1. Unusual activity in an older person’s bank accounts, including large, frequent or unexplained withdrawals
2. Changing from a basic account to one that offers more complicated services the customer does not fully understand or need
3. Withdrawals from bank accounts or transfers between accounts the customer cannot explain
4. A new “best friend” accompanying an older person to the bank
5. Sudden non-sufficient fund activity or unpaid bills
6. Closing CDs or accounts without regard to penalties
7. Uncharacteristic attempts to wire large sums of money
8. Suspicious signatures on checks, or outright forgery
9. Confusion, fear or lack of awareness on the part of an older customer
10. Checks written as “loans” or “gifts”
11. Bank statements that no longer go to the customer’s home
12. New powers of attorney the older person does not understand
13. A caretaker, relative or friend who suddenly begins conducting financial transactions on behalf of an older person without proper documentation
14. Altered wills and trusts

If you see something suspicious, you can report it to several different agencies.

Start with Adult Protective services at (855) TELL-APS, or you can see a list of county offices here.

For investment and banking scams, contact the state Bureau of Securities by phone at (866) I-Invest or email at njbos@dca.lps.state.nj.us. You can also file a complaint online.

The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit handles cases involving Medicaid recipients and fraud, theft, or abuse in health care settings. You can email NJMFCU@njdcj.org or call (609) 292-1272. The state Long-Term Care Ombudsman will handle exploitation in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Call 1-877-582-6995 or email ombudsman@ltco.nj.gov.

Let’s all work to help prevent fraud and take care of our loved ones and neighbors. 

Full Article & Source:
She trusted her financial advisor with everything. Then he stole $300K. 

Nursing home resident details nightmarish conditions

From complaints about being forced to lay in their own feces to serious medical mistakes, our I-Team investigation finds concerning conditions at Safire Care Rehabilitation Center in South Buffalo

Source:
Nursing home resident details nightmarish conditions 

Judge denies diversion request in Bakersfield elder abuse case

More than a year after the case went viral on TikTok, a judge denied a request for mental health diversion, keeping the criminal case against caregiver Julie Rothgeb on track through the court system.

By: Madi Vollmer

 

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A high-profile Bakersfield elder abuse case that drew national attention is moving one step closer to trial after a judge denied a request for Mental Health Diversion.

The case involving caregiver Julie Rothgeb gained widespread attention after videos at the center of the investigation generated more than 43 million views on TikTok.

Rothgeb is charged with assault and battery involving an elderly person. Investigators allege she repeatedly yelled at the victim and used weights on the victim's wrists and ankles, forcing her to exercise for hours at a time.

During a June 10 hearing, Rothgeb's defense attorney requested Mental Health Diversion, a program that allows eligible defendants to receive treatment instead of proceeding through the traditional criminal court process. The Kern County District Attorney's Office opposed the request, and the judge ultimately denied it.

For Windy Duenas, the victim's daughter, the ruling marks a long-awaited step toward accountability after more than a year of legal developments surrounding the case. "It's frustrating, and every time there was a court date it was continued, and we just feel like there's no rights for the victim and that everything about this case has been minimized down to nothing, and I have just lost faith in the justice system," Duenas said.

Still, Duenas says she remains frustrated that elder abuse cases are not treated more seriously and believes crimes involving vulnerable older adults should carry stronger consequences. "I am upset that we're here. I am upset that these are the possibilities that are on the table for something so serious and with so much evidence," she said.

As the case moves forward, officials say elder abuse remains a significant issue throughout Kern County.

Jeremy Oliver with Kern County Adult and Aging Services says the department investigated roughly 7,000 reports last year alone. He added that for every reported case, many more likely go unreported. "With Kern County, we receive about 7,000 reports per year that we've investigated just from last year, and we know for every instance that's actually reported, there's about 24 instances that go unreported," Oliver said.

Duenas says that fear and a lack of confidence in the system can discourage victims and families from speaking up. "There are so many elderly people out there getting mistreated on a daily basis and nothing is being done. They're already scared to come forward and say anything, and then when they do, there's no protection set for them," she said.

I also reached out to the Public Defender's Office, which said the case has been reassigned to a new attorney. The office says the case remains scheduled for a jury trial on June 29, 2026, though that date could be continued to allow additional preparation and investigation, pending the court's approval.

Full Article & Source:
Judge denies diversion request in Bakersfield elder abuse case 

North Charleston woman jailed after reportedly exploiting elderly neighbor

 by Abigail Quinn

A North Charleston Police Department uniform patch. FILE (Brian Heins/WCIV)

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — A woman has been arrested after she reportedly exploited her elderly neighbor and fraudulently accessed their finances, according to the North Charleston Police Department.

Kimberly Spear Lawrence, a 58-year-old from North Charleston was arrested and charged with fraud and exploitation of a vulnerable adult.

The report on the incident states that investigators with the North Charleston Police Department Special Victims Unit received a report on March 19 from he South Carolina Department of Social Services and Adult Protective Services regarding the alleged exploitation of a 79-year-old woman.

The victim reportedly suffers from cognitive impairment, and through investigation it was revealed that multiple checks belonging to the victim were allegedly cashed or deposited and cashed for a loss of more than $3,000 by Lawrence.

On Wednesday officers located and arrested Lawrence at a hotel on Dorchester Road and she was transported to the Al Cannon Detention Center. 

Full Article & Source:
North Charleston woman jailed after reportedly exploiting elderly neighbor 

Woman charged with stealing from wounded veterans charity, exploiting an elderly victim

A Georgia grand jury indicted Kristen Corbett on forgery, identity theft and elder exploitation charges over $2,000 in allegedly forged checks.

Credit: 13WMAZ

Author: Lars Lonnroth

MACON, Ga. — A Macon woman has been charged by a grand jury for stealing thousands of dollars from a charity for wounded veterans, according to a Bibb County incident report and court records. 

According to the sheriff's Office, a woman came to the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center to report that someone was written unauthorized checks, pulling money out from the Disabled American Veterans branch on Houston Avenue.

The sheriff's office says that the investigation determined that five checks had been written by a woman named Kristen Corbett, taking $2,000 from the non-profit's bank account. 

The report says that the assistant admin had noticed that some checks were out of sequence, which prompted the concern.

 According to the indictment, Corbett is accused of writing Truist Bank checks that appeared to be written by the woman who reported the fraud, even though she never gave authorization for the checks.  

The indictment says that the checks were for the following amounts:

• $410
• $398.90
• $402.76
• $408.20
• $392.99

The indictment says that they all were deposited on Jan. 10, 2025. The report says that the report was made to law enforcement just 19 days later on Jan. 29, 2025. 

The woman who reported the withdrawals says that they also reported the checks to the Truist Bank where the account was located, who instructed them to reach out to the sheriff's office and make a report. 

An indictment is the first official step in the legal system, where a grand jury decides that there is enough evidence to move ahead on a case. 

There is no attorney listed for Corbett in the court records yet. 

She's been charged with five counts of forgery in the fourth degree, five counts of identity theft fraud, one count of theft by taking and exploitation of an elderly person, according to the indictment. 

Full Article & Source:
Woman charged with stealing from wounded veterans charity, exploiting an elderly victim