Former Camillus House employee arrested for financial exploitation of elderly veteran

By Kathleen Ditton

MIAMI (WSVN) - A former employee of a Miami social services center was arrested and is facing multiple charges.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle on Friday announced the arrest of 34-year-old Tashia Raymond-Stackhouse, a former employee of Camillus House, on charges of exploiting an 84-year-old veteran residing at the facility.

The arrest was made by members of the State Attorney’s Office Elderly and Vulnerable Adult Unit.

Raymond-Stackhouse faces multiple charges, including one count of exploitation of an elderly/disabled person in an amount over $10,000 but less than $50,000, one count of grand theft on a person over 65 in an amount over $10,000 but less than $50,000, one count of organized scheme to defraud in an amount under $20,000, and one count of fraudulent use of personal identification information.

“It is always incredibly sad when someone sees the elderly, or the homeless, or our veterans as potentially exploitable targets,” Fernandez Rundle said. “Camillus House, as an important service provider, clearly felt this way when it discovered a possible problem with one of its employees and brought it to the attention of investigators with my Elderly and Vulnerable Adult Unit. Today’s arrest is another strong statement by my office and our law enforcement community that we will not tolerate these crimes.”

Raymond-Stackhouse, who had been employed as a Community Integration Specialist at Camillus House, allegedly took advantage of her position of trust. She allegedly helped the victim, who had been residing at Camillus House as part of a United States Department of Veterans Affairs program, in obtaining money orders while appropriating over $14,000 of the victim’s Supplemental Security Income funds.

The victim’s SSI funds were deposited directly into his bank account, and Raymond-Stackhouse gained access to the funds by acquiring the victim’s new ATM card and persuading him to disclose the card’s PIN number. From January to August 2022, Raymond-Stackhouse allegedly made 14 unauthorized ATM withdrawals from the victim’s account, totaling over $10,500. Subsequent investigation revealed deposits made into Raymond-Stackhouse’s personal bank account on the same day as the withdrawals.

Camillus House CEO Hilda M. Fernandez expressed gratitude to the Office of the Miami-Dade State Attorney for their investigation and arrest.

“We uncovered and immediately reported what was clearly an effort to defraud an elderly and vulnerable individual under our care,” Fernandez said. “As disturbing as this person’s actions are, I am confident that the important work that our employees have faithfully and selflessly provided for more than six decades to tens of thousands of needy individuals will not be undermined by the acts of this former employee whose behavior is contrary to our mission and history of service to the poor and homeless in our community.”

Raymond-Stackhouse’s arrest serves as a reminder of the importance of safeguarding the elderly, homeless and veterans from exploitation and upholding the trust placed in service providers like Camillus House.

“Our immediate response is indicative of our commitment to protecting the vulnerable in our care who put their trust in us,” Fernandez said.

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Former Camillus House employee arrested for financial exploitation of elderly veteran