Carson City deputies make arrest for elder abuse, suspect also in possession of grandmother’s debit card

by Jeff Munson

A 47-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday for suspicion of abuse of an older/vulnerable person, possession of a debit/credit card without consent and other alleged offenses, according to a Carson City Sheriff’s Office booking report.

Stephany Sharee Alexander was taken into custody at 5:34 p.m. following an investigation. She was also booked for suspicion of felony possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to the report, deputies were called to a Bel Air Court residence for a unwanted subject. Dispatch advised the reporting party called to report her granddaughter, Stephany Alexander, was at the location and yelling and screaming at her and appeared to be under the influence of something. A deputy responded to the location and made contact with the granddaughter inside the front room of the home.

The deputy attempted to gather information about what was going on but the granddaughter stated she wanted to be left alone. The deputy instructed her to wait in her room while the deputy spoke with the grandmother, who is wheelchair bound and elderly.

The deputy asked the victim what happened. She said she allowed her granddaughter to stay in her home for approximately a month. Over the past week or so she had been going through all of her personal items and bedroom. She said Alexander has been screaming at her and causing her to fear for her safety if left alone with her, the report states.

She said she is 88 years old the her granddaughter will yell and scream at her causing her heart to beat hard and fast. She stated she believe the woman would hurt her and obtained paperwork from the Carson City Justice Court for a protection order to have her granddaughter evicted. She stated that Alexander had broken into her bedroom and stole her red card and other money, according to the report.

A deputy spoke with a person who is a friend of the victim and has helped her for the past 30 years. He stated he arrived to put locks on some of the interior doors for the elderly woman and witnessed the woman yelling and screaming at the elderly grandmother. He recorded the outbursts with his phone and played one of the videos, at which time the deputy was able to hear the woman yelling and cussing at the grandmother.

The arresting officer collaborated with another deputy investigating, who was also on scene and determined Alexander was verbally and psychologically abusing her grandmother causing fear for her health and safety, the report states.

Alexander was placed in custody for suspected elder abuse. A deputy asked if she wanted some of her property to go with her to Carson City Jail. She said she wanted her purse. She was escorted to her room where the purse was located.

A deputy searched the purse prior to bringing it into jail. Inside the purse the deputy located a red bag with flowers on it and inside the bag located a long orange cylindrical glass tube with a bulbous end and a significant amount of white powdery substance still inside, the report states.

The object is a methamphetamine pipe commonly used to burn and inhale methamphetamine and other illicit narcotics. The deputy also located several small baggies with white crystalline residue inside, a small blue and green plastic container with a small mirror and four tooter straws, a small baggy with three spherical balls that were located inside the red bag.

The woman was taken to jail without incident. A deputy searched through her wallet to ensure no other illicit items were inside. The deputy located the grandmother’s driver’s license and Wells Fargo debit card in the suspect’s wallet. Deputies returned the items to the grandmother, the report states.

Alexander was booked for possession of a debit/credit card without consent, and possession of a controlled substance, both felonies. She was also booked for gross misdemeanor abuse of an older/vulnerable person and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Bail: $5,000.

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Carson City deputies make arrest for elder abuse, suspect also in possession of grandmother’s debit card

Man arrested on suspicion of scamming elder adult in Stanislaus out of $30k. How it happened

By Dominique Williams

The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man on suspicion of elder abuse after he allegedly scammed an older adult out of $30,000. 

Zhongqiang Chen, a 35-year-old male from Oakland, was booked Nov. 14 on additional charges including false or fraudulent representation, using a forged access card to obtain more than $400 and grand theft of more than $400 dollars.

On Nov. 12, an elderly female received a scam email of someone posing as McAfee Customer Service, telling her that her antivirus program had expired. 

The victim responded to the email and connected with a scammer, who took control of her computer, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The scammer transferred $60,000 from her money market account into her checking account. He then convinced the victim she owed him $60,000. 

The victim gave him an initial payment of $30,000.

On Nov. 13, the scammer called the victim and demanded the remaining $30,000. He told her he would arrange to pick up the money the following day. 

The victim told her son about the pickup, and her son contacted law enforcement. The Stanislaus Sheriff’s Office General Crimes Unit immediately began investigating the case, according to a news release. 

An undercover operation was conducted Nov. 14. Undercover detectives waited for the scammer to pick up the money at the victim’s residence. 

Around 12:30 p.m. that day, Chen was arrested when he arrived at the victim’s home as . He is being held on a $110,000 bail.

The case is still under investigation, and it is unknown if there are any additional victims or suspects.

Common scams targeting older adults in Stanislaus County 

The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office said scammers are “good at pretending to be from an organization” and that they will often tell you there is a problem, for example: that you owe money to the government, that someone in your family had an emergency, there is a problem with your bank account or a virus on your computer. Others will say you won a lottery or sweepstakes, but you must first pay a fee. 

Scammers will pressure you to act immediately, according to the Sheriff’s Office. If not, there will be consequences, like arrest or suspension of privileges. They will ask you to pay using a specific method, such as an app or money order.

The average amount of money scammed from victims under age 19 is $250, Byron Nelson, an attorney at Stanislaus County’s Senior Advocacy Network-Senior Law Project, told The Modesto Bee in May 2023. The average amount scammed from victims age 80 and over is $1,500. 

“Some of it is opportunity,” Nelson said at the time. “Older adults are in their home and a lot of them are retired and they are the ones that will open the door, they are the ones that will answer the phone.”

Some common scams that have targeted local senior citizens in the county, according to Senior Law Project, include:

• Romance scams
  
• Banking scams
  
• Solar scams 
• Medicare scams 
• Investment scams 
• Sweepstakes and lottery scams 
• Grandparent scams 
• Tech support scams 
• Refund scams 
• Account verification scams 
• Financial scams 
• Health care scams 
• Identity theft 
• Home repair/improvement scams 
• Telephone and internet scams 
• Phishing scams 
• Online shopping scams 
• Charity scams 
• Government stimulus/grant scams 

The Office of the Attorney General has detailed some of these scams on its website.

How to prevent being scammed 

To avoid scams, do not provide personal or financial information in response to a request you did not make, the Sheriff’s Office says. Honest organizations will not call, email, or text to ask for personal information, according to police. 

“Please resist the pressure to act immediately,” the news release read. “An honest business will give you time to make a decision. Please stop and talk to someone you trust before you do anything else.” 

The Senior Law Project recommends these tips to avoid becoming a victim of a scam: 

• If you don’t recognize the phone number, you don’t have to answer the phone 
• If a company calls and requests money or information, hang up and call the number listed online 
• If your child or grandchild calls to ask for money, hang up and call to see if there really is trouble
• Before signing an electric contract, request a paper copy in your native language and review it 
• You can’t win something if you haven’t entered 
• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

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Man arrested on suspicion of scamming elder adult in Stanislaus out of $30k. How it happened

Woman charged in elder-abuse case

A Huntland woman was released on a $500,000 bond after being arrested in connection with allegations of elder abuse and theft.

Betty Jean Duncan, 55, appeared in Franklin County Circuit Court Tuesday, according to court records, and she is scheduled to appear again on Jan. 21, 2025.

An investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in the indictment and arrest of Duncan, according to a TBI press release.

On July 9, at the request of 12th Judicial District Attorney General Courtney Lynch, agents began investigating allegations of theft by Duncan, who operated a care facility in Franklin County, according to reports.

Agents learned that an 82-year-old female who had been allegedly under Duncan’s care passed away in March, the press release said.

A review of the woman’s financial accounts during the investigation found discrepancies where large sums of money appear to have been transferred from the victim’s account to an account co-owned by Duncan, reports said.

Agents later identified Duncan as the individual allegedly responsible for taking the money, the press release said.

On Nov. 18, a Franklin County grand jury returned an indictment charging Duncan with one count of theft over $250,000 and one count of financial exploitation of an elderly or vulnerable adult, the press release said.

On Nov. 19, TBI agents and deputies with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office arrested Duncan, the press release said, adding that she was transported to the Franklin County Jail and booked on a $500,000 bond.

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Woman charged in elder-abuse case

The Most Important Conversation to Have Before You Die

Talking about your advance care directive with your loved ones will make life — and death — easier later on.

By Dana G. Smith

Instead of talking about politics around the Thanksgiving table this year, consider a less fraught topic: death.

It’s something few of us want to think about, but death is a fact of life that we will all encounter, often first as a caregiver and then, inevitably, when we reach our own.

As uncomfortable as it can be, discussing what medical care you want to receive at the end of your life is “one of the most loving things” you can do for your family, said Dr. Jennifer Gabbard, the director of the Palliative Medicine Research Program at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Understanding your wishes ahead of time can make difficult decisions a little easier on your loved ones and comfort them in knowing that they’re doing the right thing.

These discussions aren’t just for people in their golden years, either. If you’re young and healthy, you can frame it as an “in case I get hit by a bus” conversation, said Omni Kitts Ferrara, the director of education at the International End-of-Life Doula Association.

Death is a fraught topic, so it’s worth thinking about how to make these conversations less stressful for your family and friends. Here’s a framework for what to cover.

Yes, we’re talking about an advance care directive.

With end-of-life care, there are two main things to think about, discuss and ultimately put into writing. The first is what types of treatments you do or don’t want to receive, often called a living will. The second is who you would like to communicate your preferences and make decisions about your care if you are unable to, known as your health care power of attorney. Together, these instructions make up your advance directive — documents you can share with your family and with your doctor to file away with your medical records.

Advance directives don’t need to be completed by a doctor or lawyer, but they do need to be signed by yourself and at least one witness. The exact requirements differ from state to state — in some places, the forms must be notarized — so be sure to look up what your state calls for.

First, focus on your living will.

Before you discuss your wishes with others, it can be helpful to complete a living will so that you’re clear about your own thoughts on the topic. Some large health care systems have forms that they can provide to patients, or you can find one online. Several experts we spoke with recommended the website Five Wishes as a helpful resource.

Generally, the living will boils down to whether you “want palliative care just to treat your symptoms,” or whether you “want aggressive treatment no matter what the prognosis,” said Caitlin Cassady, an end-of-life social worker and co-author of the book “Dying at Home: A Family Guide for Caregiving.”

Some living wills ask if you would want specific life-extending medical interventions, such as being put on a ventilator or having a feeding tube. However, because it can be challenging to wrap your head around what these procedures might actually entail, many living wills focus on your values and priorities — in addition to, or even in lieu of, specific treatments.

For example, they may ask: What brings meaning to your life, and how would you feel if you were unable to do those things? What living conditions would be unacceptable to you? These types of questions are valuable to think about, and to explore with the people closest to you.

A living will is different from a D.N.R. (do not resuscitate) order or a POLST (physician orders for life-sustaining treatment), which are both intended for people who doctors think have a more imminent risk of dying. These forms are provided and filled out by hospital staff and only cover specific medical interventions, like CPR or intubation.

Keep in mind that a living will is not a “one and done thing,” Dr. Gabbard said. Your desires will likely change as you age, or a terminal illness may adjust your plans, so revisit it every couple of years.

And each time you do, talk it through with your family. Because while completing a living will is a crucial step, discussing your wishes with your loved ones can be just as important.

Next, designate your health care power of attorney.

While your family should stay informed about your medical wishes, your health care power of attorney will officially communicate your preferences to your medical team and make decisions about your care if you are unable.

Your health care power of attorney can be anyone you want — they don’t have to be a relative — but there are a few things to consider when thinking about whom to pick, Ms. Cassady said: How close are you with the person, and can you have hard conversations with them? Would they be able to carry out your wishes, even if that meant stopping lifesaving treatment? How are they in a crisis?

“Who do you think makes really good decisions in stressful situations?” Ms. Cassady said. Living wills “really don’t cover everything, and people often find themselves in situations making decisions that they never even thought they would make.”

It’s essential to talk with your pick ahead of time to make sure they’re comfortable being in that position. And it’s probably worth informing those you haven’t chosen, too. “People can feel really hurt if you don’t communicate” who you chose and why, Ms. Cassady said. The last thing you want is conflict — or an all-out fight — during a medical emergency.

While death can be a scary subject to broach, you may be surprised by how you feel after. “When we consider our own mortality,” Ms. Ferrara said, “it has an interesting way of reflexively reminding us that we are alive.”

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The Most Important Conversation to Have Before You Die

Texas man accused of impersonating celebrity to scam victim in Washington County, Va.

by: Slater Teague

ABINGDON, Va. (WJHL) — A Texas man was arrested after authorities said he posed as a celebrity to scam a victim in Southwest Virginia.

According to the Washington County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office (WCSO), Mark Aiseosa Kadiri, 21, of McKinney, Texas, was arrested last Thursday by the Collin County, Texas Sheriff’s Office.

The WCSO had been alerted to an online scam involving a person impersonating a celebrity seeking financial help. According to the sheriff’s office, the scammer maintained contact with the victim for several months and exploited them for financial gain.

Investigators identified account information that led to McKinney, Texas and Kidiri being identified as a person of interest.

The Collin County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant and seized electronic data. Kadiri also admitted to his involvement in the scam, according to the WCSO.

Texas authorities charged Kadiri with third-degree felony theft. The WCSO also charged him with:

• Obtaining money or signature, etc. by false pretense
• Financial exploitation of vulnerable adults
• Computer fraud
• Using computer to commit a scheme involving false representations

Kadiri will be extradited to Washington County, Virginia.

Authorities did not identify the celebrity that Kadiri allegedly impersonated.

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Texas man accused of impersonating celebrity to scam victim in Washington County, Va.