Authorities said Raya used the money for all sorts of things: bills, outfits and even ballroom dance lessons.
Raya posted a YouTube video of her ballroom dancing. The folks at TEAH Ballroom Dance Studio at 90th Street and Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park said Raya was a frequent customer for the last two years.
Workers at TEAH told KCTV5 Raya said she had to give her dancing up to take care of her elderly mother. Authorities say the person Raya really took care of was herself with her mother's money.
She's been charged with mistreatment of an adult and theft. The charges allege Raya took advantage of her mom. Police say it's things like the ballroom dance classes that may have contributed to the charges.
"Lot of things the money was spent on paying bills, ballroom dancing lessons, and outfits and things like that. It was a lot of money. There were just a lot of different things where she was abusing the money that wasn't intended for her," said Overland Park Police Department Officer Gary Mason.
The dance studio changed ownership earlier this year and only a few people here knew Raya. Those who did know her didn't want to go on camera. We also knocked on the door of Raya's Overland Park home, but no one answered.
Police say someone at the financial institution where Raya's mother, Janet Bersbach, kept her money blew the whistle. Suspicions grew as more and more money was siphoned from her mother's account.
"The main point of this it was set up in a trust fund. The reason we do this is so it's not abused. It's designed to protect people. When it doesn't, it's a sad situation," Mason said.
Raya is out of jail tonight after posting a $10,000 bond.
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Woman accused of stealing more than $100,000 from 93-year-old mother
1 comment:
A good story because it shows how easily this kind of theft happens and how devastating it is.
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