By Mike LaBella
LONDONDERRY — A New Hampshire woman who worked as a caregiver has
been charged with stealing the identities of four elderly people who
were in her care.
New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon J.
MacDonald said Christina Lariviere, (who also goes by the names
Christina Soleil and Christina Melvin), 35, of Bow, was arrested Friday
on eight class A felony counts of identity fraud.
The charges
allege that between July 10 and Aug. 14, 2019, Lariviere obtained
the personal identifying information of four elderly people —ages 100,
97, 92 and 87 — without authorization and with the intent to pose as
these individuals. The personal identifying information included social
security numbers, state driver’s and non-driver’s
identification numbers, and birth dates, according to a press release
from MacDonald.
An
investigation revealed that Lariviere obtained the personal information
while employed as a caregiver at a long-term care facility in
Londonderry where the elderly people lived, MacDonald said.
The
charges also allege that between July 31, and Dec. 13, 2019, Lariviere,
acting with a purpose to defraud, posed as two of these elderly people
in order to open credit and financial accounts in their names, according
to MacDonald.
The state is seeking an extended-term of
imprisonment on all of the charges, alleging that Lariviere, in
committing the crimes, intended to take advantage of the elderly
people's ages and disabilities that impaired their abilities to manage
their own property and financial resources.
Lariviere is expected to be arraigned on the charges in Rockingham County Superior Court this week.
This
case was investigated jointly by the Elder Abuse and Financial
Exploitation Unit of the Attorney General’s Office and the Londonderry
Police Department.
Lariviere was previously arrested on Jan. 30 of this year and charged
in the Hillsborough County Superior Court-Southern District, with four
class B felony counts of check forgery.
Those charges allege that
while working as an in-home caregiver in Pelham in November 2019,
Lariviere altered, without authority, personal checks belonging to
residents of an elderly housing facility.
Lariviere has since been
charged in Hillsborough County Superior Court-Southern District with
additional counts of theft by unauthorized taking and attempted theft by
unauthorized taking, MacDonald said.
Lariviere also has charges
pending in Rockingham County Superior Court for attempted theft by
unauthorized taking, theft by unauthorized taking and fraudulent use of a
credit card.
Lariviere has also been charged with one class A
felony count of identity fraud in the Hillsborough County Superior Court
– Northern District.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant
Attorney General Bryan J. Townsend, II, of the Elder Abuse and Financial
Exploitation Unit.
If you or someone you know has been the
victim of elder abuse or financial exploitation, please contact your
local police department or the Department of Health and Human Services,
Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services at 1-800-949-0470.
Full Article & Source:
Former caregiver charged with identity theft
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