A Walton County couple was arrested after investigators said they used a senior’s debit card to spend more than $8,000 on items such as an inflatable swimming pool and gourmet barbecue.
A Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigation revealed the 70-year-old previously lived with the suspects, Charles Victor Currington and Crystal Sherlock, Attorney General Ashley Moody said in a Monday press release.
Investigators said the senior assisted the couple with their household bills, including repairs to the home after a fire. After five years, the 70-year-old moved into a nursing home and no longer authorized Currington and Sherlock to use the debit card.
According to investigators, Currington and Sherlock didn’t return the debit card. Instead, they used it to spend more than $8,000 on “frivolous purchases.”
“Our investigators exposed a criminal duo who stole thousands of dollars from a 70-year-old Floridian — thinking no one would notice after the senior moved into a nursing home,” Moody said in the news relea “Huge mistake. My investigators worked diligently to gather evidence of their crimes, and now this criminal couple will face justice for exploiting a Florida senior.”
Currington and Sherlock were each charged with one count of criminal use of personal identification information of an individual more than 60 years old, a second-degree felony; one count of criminal use of personal identification information of more than $5,000, a second-degree felony; and one count of theft from persons 65 years of age or older, more than $300, but less than $10,000, a third-degree felony.
The case will be prosecuted by Attorney General Moody’s MFCU through an agreement with the State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit of Florida, Ginger Bowden Madden. The Walton County Sheriff's Office also assisted with the investigation.
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Walton couple accused of stealing $8K from 70-year-old
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