Local senior service worker sentenced for exploiting elderly client's finances

by WKRC

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - An employee of a senior service provider was sentenced to nine months in jail for stealing from a woman she was supposed to help.

Brenda Cowden was a caseworker responsible for placing seniors into care facilities. The victim lived alone with no close friends or family. Cowden was assigned to the victim who could no longer safely live at home.

In February, prosecutors said Cowden convinced the 79-year-old victim to sign a power of attorney, illegally adding witness signatures afterward. Cowden gained control over the victim's accounts.

In all, Cowden obtained $13,600 of the victim's money directly and had control over more than $1 million dollars before investigators at GE Credit Union froze an account and notified Sharonville Police.

Had there not been an investigation, Cowden would have likely received all of the victim's money when she died.

Cowden pleaded guilty to theft from a person in a protected class. In exchange for the plea charges of telecommunications fraud, forgery and others were dropped.

Cowden could have been sentenced to 61 years in prison if she'd been convicted of all charges.

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Local senior service worker sentenced for exploiting elderly client's finances