by TEMI-TOPE ADELEYE
PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WJAR) — An elderly Pawtucket woman is heartbroken after learning her caretaker allegedly exploited her.
The woman said the certified nursing assistant has been arrested for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from her.
Elaine Estrella, 82, said 36-year-old Christina Scanlon of Central Falls stole more than $42,000 from her.
It was money that her and her late husband earned together.
"I have...a still have a mortgage and I'm afraid I'm going to lose my home because of her and that's totally unfair," said Estrella.
She lives with dementia and a physical disability. Her son Kevin Whalen, contacted Pawtucket Police after discovering thousands of dollars missing from her November bank statement.
"The account went from $50,000 to $15,000. We then called the bank, they looked into it, and they discovered that this woman that works for this Nursing Placement was using the debit card at the ATMs to withdraw money," said Whalen.
Whalen said Scanlon, who works for Home Health & Hospice Care of Nursing Placement in Pawtucket, allegedly stole the money while running errands for Estrella.
"She really played my mother well. This woman has to have done this...I mean she was methodical about it. How this nursing company has an employee like that is beyond me," said Whalen.
Nursing Placement said they haven't been able to reach Scanlon since they learned about the incident on Nov. 8.
Their statement read:
There was an unfortunate incident involving the theft of a client’s money by a Certified Nursing Assistant which was reported to Nursing Placement on Friday, December 8, 2023. The client was directed to contact her local police department. As soon as we were made aware, Nursing Placement attempted to bring the CNA into our office to investigate the matter. Unfortunately, we were unable to reach her. In accordance with standard operating procedures, Nursing Placement immediately reported the CNA to the RI Department of Health Board of Licensure and our insurance carrier was also notified. Nursing Placement has no further information to report and will fully cooperate with any ongoing police investigation. To the best of our knowledge, there were two conversations by members of our staff with the client’s son regarding this unfortunate occurrence and at no time was anyone victim-shamed by our organization.
Pawtucket Police arrested Scanlon on Friday. She was charged with three felonies, fraudulent use of a credit card, exploitation of an elder, and embezzlement and fraudulent conversion.
Estrella said she is not looking for pity, but wants to spread awareness on the situation.
The mother and son said the bank cannot help, and the nursing home said they may only be able to give them part of the money back.
Whalen said he is looking for a lawyer who can help them, but that will cost them even more money.
Full Article & Source:
Elderly Pawtucket woman allegedly exploited by caregiver, accused of $42,000 theft
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