by Frank Stanfield
Cayla Amburgey, 32, of Leesburg, was arrested April 24 and charged with exploitation of an elderly person, grand theft of more than $20,000 but less than $100,000, fraudulent credit cards, and identity theft. She was jailed, with bail set at $19,000.
Amburgey worked for Right at Home Care Services in Tavares and was a caretaker for the woman while she was residing at Osprey Lodge Senior Living Facility in Tavares.
“She had worked for her for quite some time,” said Glenn Fechtenburg with Right at Home.
“They got very close, probably a little too close,” he said.
Amburgey had passed a background check. “I think this was a first-time situation,” Fechtenburg said.
When the company heard the family’s complaint it immediately called the police and fired her.
The company, which is bonded, has zero tolerance for exploitation, Fechenburg said. Because the case was reported to authorities, Amburgey will no longer be eligible to work as a certified nursing assistant, which is important, he said.
Osprey Lodge declined to comment except to say that Amburgey was not an employee of the facility.
An employee of Osprey Lodge called Tavares police on behalf of the woman on April 15 so an investigator could meet with her, according to an arrest record. Before that, the woman’s son had contacted police to say that while filing his mother’s taxes, he discovered that about $30,000 in fraudulent charges had been made to her credit union account, which had been almost depleted, and $1,000 to a credit and debit card.
The son said Amburgey had access to the money and his mother’s car, which was missing, the arrest affidavit says.
Questioned by police, Amburgey said she would run errands for the woman and pick up items from various stores. She was then confronted with a text message to the woman saying, “I just want to let you know that I apologize and have every intention of paying you back completely.”
Amburgey told police she took the money to pay hospital bills but also used the credit card to buy personal items, the affidavit says. She was supposed to only use the card to pay for small personal items, up to $30 or so, but frequently withdrew cash in increments of $200. About $4,000 of the total was lost this way, according to police reports.
The woman had police issue a trespass warning and demanded that the car be returned. Police were also authorized by her employer to tell her that she had been fired as a caregiver, according to police reports.
Right at Home told police Amburgey had been a caretaker with another company for three years previously.
Right at Home has 500 outlets across the country. Osprey Lodge is owned by Allegro Senior Living, LLC, which has 12 senior living communities, mostly in Florida.
This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Woman accused of stealing thousands from elderly client
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Caregiver accused of stealing thousands of dollars from elderly client
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