Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Lehigh County woman stole $6K+ from elderly residents at healthcare center, cops say


A 29-year-old Lehigh County woman is accused of stealing more than $6,000 from elderly victims while taking care of them at a Montgomery County healthcare center, police said.

Crystal Bianca Brito, of the 200 block of West Chestnut Street in Macungie, is charged with 126 felony counts.

The charges include: felony access of a device issued to another who did not authorize use; one count of felony financial exploitation of an older adult; seven misdemeanor counts of access of a device issued to another who did not authorize use; four counts of misdemeanor theft; two counts of misdemeanor possession of access device knowing it’s altered; three counts of misdemeanor receiving stolen property; and one of count misdemeanor financial exploitation of an older adult.

Steven Richard Mills, the defense attorney representing Brito, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Wednesday morning.

The charges are in connection with incidents between November and late February that involved three alleged victims. Initial charges were filed against Brito on Nov. 21 and additional charges were filed Dec. 21 and Feb. 27, court records state.

Police in Telford Borough, Montgomery County responded to the Lutheran Community of Telford, a personal care facility at 12 Lutheran Home Drive, for a reported theft just before 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 21. An elderly female victim reported a stolen debit card with 37 fraudulent transactions. Charges in that incident totaled $1,254 for transactions from Nov. 7 to Nov. 20, court records state.

Investigators were provided with a list of a dozen visiting aides who assisted the victim during that time, court records state. Police said the majority of the transactions were made in the Allentown area and Brito was the other aide living there. Additionally, a receipt came back signed with her first name, “Crystal,” according to police.

Investigators obtained copies of receipts used at the establishments that matched Brito as the customer and the debit card used belonging to the victim, police said. Brito allegedly used the card three times at an Upper Macungie supermarket for gas and lottery tickets, as well as at a big box chain in Allentown for an online order.

Investigators obtained store surveillance footage of Brito fueling her Jeep at the supermarket and shipping records showed the big box store sending goods to her home address in Macungie, police said.

Brito was arrested in January. She allegedly claimed to investigators that the woman was her only victim and she planned to repay the stolen cash, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

A second alleged elderly victim came forward to police about a month later. The victim’s friend on Dec. 21 reported 24 unauthorized charges on that woman’s debit card. However, just $248 worth of charges were approved with another $4,023 in charges declined, police said.

The majority of those charges allegedly also happened in the Macungie and Allentown areas. Approved purchases were made at a convenience store — a mile from the Lutheran home — and at a coffee shop inside a Montgomery County supermarket, police said.

Investigators obtained surveillance video footage of the customer using the stolen card at both establishments and each incident matched Brito, police said. Brito was assigned to the second victim at the care facility just prior to the fraudulent activity happening, according to police.

A third elderly female victim reported in early January that there were 71 unauthorized transactions on her stolen debit card. The transactions were made between Dec. 9 and Dec. 14 and totaled $4,676, court records state. The purchases were made in the Allentown and Macungie areas, police said.

Brito allegedly was assigned to help that victim at the healthcare facility just prior to the fraudulent purchases. Surveillance footage at the same Upper Macungie supermarket showed Brito making one of the unauthorized purchases on the third victim’s card, according to court records.

Brito was arraigned before District Judge Regina Armitage on about 43 felony and misdemeanor charges in January. The judge set bail at $50,000 unsecured in that case.

Brito was arraigned May 7 on the additional felony and misdemeanor charges before District Judge Jean Seaman. That judge also set bail at $50,000 unsecured.

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Lehigh County woman stole $6K+ from elderly residents at healthcare center, cops say

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