Attorney General Brown Announces Sentencing of Caregiver for Theft from an Assisted Living Facility Resident

Published: 7/1/2026

​​​​​​​​​​​FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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press@oag.maryland.gov
410-576-7009

BALTIMORE, MD – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced the conviction and sentencing of Danielle Lucas, age 52, of Baltimore City, for stealing from a vulnerable adult while she was working at an assisted living facility in Baltimore City.

Lucas worked at Taylor & Jackie Assisted Living Facility and the victim was a resident there. Financial records revealed that on October 31, 2023, and April 04, 2024, Lucas paid a total of $3,722.66 of her own rent out of her client’s bank account. The victim, who is in her 90s, said she was not aware of these transactions from her account and did not give her permission.

While the victim was at the Anne Arundel Medical Center, she told medical staff that her caretakers were stealing from her. Thanks to a Licensed Clinical Social Worker from the Anne Arundel Medical Center and the Anne Arundel County Department of Aging and Disabilities Public Adult Guardianship program, the victim was relocated to another facility, and her complaint was relayed for a criminal investigation.

On June 24, 2026, Lucas pleaded guilty to felony theft before the Hon. Lynn Stewart Mays of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. Judge Mays sentenced her to four years, suspending all but time served with three years of supervised probation, and to pay restitution of $3,722.66.

In making today’s announcement, Attorney General Brown thanked his Medicaid Fraud and Vulnerable Victims Unit, particularly Assistant Attorney General Kurt Davidson, Senior Investigator Edward Gray, and Investigator Kevin Clements for their work on this case.

The Maryland Office of the Attorney General, Medicaid Fraud and Vulnerable Victims Unit receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $7,119,096 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2026. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $2,373,032 for FY 2026, is funded by the State of Maryland.

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Attorney General Brown Announces Sentencing of Caregiver for Theft from an Assisted Living Facility Resident

Caregiver in Eugene sentenced for abusing elderly memory care resident

EUGENE, Ore. - A 50-year-old Eugene man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the sexual abuse of an 86-year-old resident at a memory care facility, according to the Oregon Department of Justice.

State DOJ officials said Michael Putman sexually abused an 86-year-old resident at Churchill Estates, a memory care facility in Eugene, where he worked as the victim's evening caretaker. The abuse occurred over several months, state officials said.

Attorney General Dan Rayfield emphasized the gravity of the crime.

"This case is a heartbreaking reminder that elder abuse can happen in places where families expect their loved ones to be safe," Rayfield said.

He added that the commitment to holding abusers accountable remains strong.

Putman pleaded guilty to charges including first-degree sexual abuse and criminal mistreatment. The Eugene Police Department led the investigation, with support from Kids First and the Oregon State Police Crime Lab.

The Oregon Department of Justice urges anyone suspecting elder abuse or neglect to report it to local authorities for action. 

Full Article & Source:
Caregiver in Eugene sentenced for abusing elderly memory care resident 

Baltimore caregiver sentenced after assaulting intellectually disabled man

By: Rushaad Hayward

BALTIMORE — A caregiver in Baltimore has been sentenced after assaulting an intellectually disabled man in April.

Omubo Micah, 55, was sentenced to five years suspended in favor of four years of supervised probation.

He's also been ordered to complete an anger management program and prohibited from working for any healthcare provider who receives state or federal funds.

Back in April, a neighbor reviewed security camera footage and discovered something shocking.

It showed an intellectually disabled man coming out of the house and tossing a chicken bone into the neighbor's yard. Micah, the victim's caregiver, comes up from behind, grabs him by the shirt and throws him inside.

Micah also hit the victim in the head and threw multiple punches at him.

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Baltimore caregiver sentenced after assaulting intellectually disabled man

Caregiver sentenced to 60 years for Ponce Inlet shooting death of 89-year-old

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A caregiver arrested in 2022 in the shooting death of an 89-year-old woman in a Ponce Inlet condo was sentenced to 60 years in prison Thursday.

Micayla Yusko pleaded no contest last week in the death of Margaret D. Hindsley, who was shot multiple times in January 2022. Yusko and her husband, Tyden Paul Guinn, were both arrested after Guinn’s father turned them in.

“They just came home and told me they just did this,” the father said in the 911 call. “I woke up, they just came in and told me they just shot somebody.”

“I had a feeling that they were gonna shoot somebody, that they were gonna kill somebody,” he said in the 911 call. “I thought (Guinn) was gonna come home and kill me.”

According to him, the couple had been married about two years at the time and Yusco, who he said has a history of mental health problems, had put the younger Guinn “in a spell.”

Guinn and Yusco visited Hindsley twice per day as her caregiver, according to police.

The family of Margaret “Darlene” Hindsley, 89, is mourning the loss of a beloved mother and grandmother. (Coronado Law Group)

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Caregiver sentenced to 60 years for Ponce Inlet shooting death of 89-year-old

Former caregiver sentenced to 10 years

by Billy Hobbs

A 62-year-old former Milledgeville caregiver will spend the next 10 years of her life in prison.

Cora Mildred Mason, of the 100 block of Merry Drive, pleaded guilty to criminal charges during a Friday hearing before Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Terry A. Massey. 

Mason was sentenced under the Georgia First Offender Act.

Mason worked as a caregiver with a health care service before she was caught on an in-home security surveillance camera abusing a local elderly woman.

She was sentenced to 20 years with the first 10 years to be served in prison. The remainder of the sentence will be served on probation.

The judge also fined Mason $1,000.

If the defendant had opted for a jury trial and been convicted, she was looking at a possible 180 years in prison.

The case was prosecuted by Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit Assistant District Attorney Ashley E. Herndon.

Mason, who was represented by defense attorney Sheri Smith, pleaded guilty to nine counts of exploitation and intimidation of a disabled adult, elder person or resident, according to Herndon.

Smith noted that her client had been abused in a domestic relationship and that she had difficulties growing up, Herndon said.

“Judge Massey wanted to make sure, as did the district attorney’s office, that a standard was set for the community and the caretakers in the community,” Herndon said. “We, the judge and the district attorney’s office, want people to know that was not a joke and this is not something you get a slap on the wrist for and you walk away from.”

Herndon said as sad as the case was for a lot of people, she hopes lessons are learned from it.

“I hope that awareness is brought to the general public for those who are having to pay for their parents to be cared for, either at home or somewhere else, that you really don’t know what is happening unless you have a camera up,” Herndon said. “And that’s what I told the family, in this case, is by the grace of God they decided to put cameras up.”

Herndon explained that Jeffrie McCormick got a feeling one day that something was just not right and she needed to see what was going on.

A few months before the crimes reportedly began taking place, McCormick and her husband put cameras up to see what was going on in the home when they were at work.

One day, when the victim’s son-in-law came home, he discovered his mother-in-law on the floor, Herndon said.

The McCormicks looked at the video footage that night to see what had happened and what led to the victim being found on the floor, the assistant district attorney told The Union-Recorder on Monday.

The defendant was working at Primecare Home Care Services at the time of the crimes, authorities said.

The crimes involved an 87-year-old woman, who was receiving care from Mason for five years. The victim, now deceased, was identified as Petronia Harper, who suffered from dementia.

“She (Mason) was a person they chose and trusted to stay with Mrs. Harper,” Herndon said.

“She (Mason) threatened her,” Herndon said. “In one of the videos, Cora Mason was in her face to the point that the dog started jumping at her, too.”

 She said the nine criminal charges against Mason were the worst ones that happened to the victim.

District Attorney Stephen A. Bradley presented the case to a Baldwin County grand jury, which led to a nine-count indictment against Mason on charges of exploitation and intimidation of a disabled adult, elder person or resident.

At the time of the crimes, the deputy said in her report that she talked with the victim’s daughter at a local residence, along with a manager with the health care provider.

The deputy said the caregiver told her that the elderly woman had slid off the couch as she was attempting to get her to go to the restroom.

A portion of the in-home surveillance video captured water being thrown in the face of the victim and Mason yelling and shaking a finger in the elderly woman’s face in another incident.

“You can clearly see the victim retreating as much as possible on the sofa,” Veal said in the incident report. “Then, Mason pushes a card table away from in front of (the victim) and slaps her several times across the face. It appears that Mason continues to yell at (the victim) and then reaches over and grabs (the victim) by the shoulder and arm and pulls her in an upward manner.”

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Former caregiver sentenced to 10 years

Boise caregiver convicted for elder abuse, neglect and exploitation

Sherri Watring. (Courtesy Ada County Sheriff's Office)

BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — A jury found a Boise caregiver guilty Wednesday for elder abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Sherri L. Watring, 53, was arrested in Jan. 2019 and charged with two felony counts of abuse and neglect of a vulnerable adult - under circumstances likely to produce great bodily harm. Watring was also convicted of exploitation of a vulnerable adult in excess of $1,000, as well as a misdemeanor petit theft charge.

Watring was working as a caregiver for an elderly couple for a number of years. According to court documents, she had steadily gained trust with the couple and gained power of attorney in 2016.

The male victim died on Feb. 1, 2018 and Watring had him cremated without the family knowing. The family fired her later that month. She then took the man's ashes and spread them somewhere unknown to the family, before turning over the empty urn to authorities.

Watring was also found guilty of neglecting and abusing the female victim by failing to provide adequate nutrition and performing improper medical treatments - which created circumstances likely to produce great bodily harm. The woman later died in hospice care in June of 2018.

Watring committed the crimes over the span of two years from 2016-2018.

Watring was also charged for exploiting the couple by taking more than $1,000 from them. She used online transfers to get money from the victim's bank accounts to her own, and added debt in the victim's names using her position as their power of attorney.

A jury found Watring guilty on all charges following the three-day trial.


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Boise caregiver convicted for elder abuse, neglect and exploitation

Caregiver sentenced to year in prison for abusing 95-year-old woman

SILVER SPRING, Md. (WSVN) — A Maryland caregiver will spend the next year behind bars after she was caught on camera abusing an elderly woman.

Fox 5 reports that Roxann Bucchan-Straker was hired as a private caretaker for the 95-year-old victim who lived in a nursing home.

According to WUSA, the woman’s son suspected that his mother was being abused, and set up a hidden camera in her room.

Video captured in November 2015 showed Bucchan-Straker hitting the wheelchair-bound woman with a cell phone. Police say several videos also showed her slapping the victim as she ate her meals, telling her she wasn’t eating fast enough.

Bucchan-Straker pled guilty to one count of abuse of a vulnerable adult, telling the judge she had been feeling under pressure at work and at home.

The judge told her she should be ashamed of herself before sentencing her to a five-year sentence with four years suspended. Upon learning she would be imprisoned, WUSA reports she screamed in court and collapsed.

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Caregiver sentenced to year in prison for abusing 95-year-old woman

 

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Eastern District of Virginia

---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, April 26, 2019

Caregiver Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Client of $100K

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hayes woman was sentenced today to more than five years in prison for stealing approximately $100,000 from a disabled woman for whom she provided caregiving services.

“The financial and emotional harm these deceitful and illegal acts can cause victims and their family members cannot be overstated,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Denton is a serial fraudster who in this case defrauded and victimized a particularly vulnerable woman who had entrusted Denton with providing care to her and her son, who also suffers from certain disabilities. Denton abused and violated that position of trust and stole nearly $100,000 from the victim. We will continue to work with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to make sure we are protecting those in our communities who are most vulnerable.”

According to court documents, Amy Denton, 43, worked as a caregiver for a Gloucester woman who suffered from various medical issues and limitations. In early 2015, her client’s mother passed away, leaving her a number of life insurance policies. In her role as caregiver, Denton obtained notices of the policies, but then forged her client’s signature on various forms to request the life insurance funds. Denton caused the victim to complete a Virginia Durable Power of Attorney Form (POA) that gave Denton access and control over her client’s finances. The woman signed this form without knowing the authority it provided Denton over her finances.

“Fraud and betrayal by a trusted caregiver is a shameful crime,” said Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office. “The price of this defendant’s greed is the financial security of the victim and her son. The FBI will continue to hold accountable anyone who preys on the vulnerabilities of others.”

Denton used the POA to open bank accounts and add herself to her client’s existing bank account. In May 2015, Denton fraudulently obtained five life insurance checks in the total amount of approximately $100,000, and then routed these funds through bank accounts she controlled. She used the funds to purchase a vehicle, pay off court costs related to a prior state fraud conviction, and for other travel and entertainment expenses. Once the life insurance proceeds were spent, in November 2015, Denton attempted to obtain an additional $40,000 in assets that were held by a law firm and would have accrued to her client. In May 2016, the victim learned that her bank account lacked sufficient funds to pay various bills, and had a seizure at the bank and additional seizures thereafter that required hospitalization.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, and Darrell W. Warren, Jr., Gloucester County Sheriff, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Samuels prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:18-cr-70.

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Caregiver Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Client of $100K

Carer rinsed elderly man's bank account as legal fees for guardianship of granddaughter mounted

Jill Lewis

A CARER who left a vulnerable old man overdrawn after using his bank card as if it her own has been jailed for a year.

Jill Lewis not only repeatedly withdrew cash from the 76-year-old's account but also used his details to get items from catalogues and online.

And the 50-year-old gran's deceit only came to light when she had emptied William Porter's account so he got into rent arrears on his sheltered accommodation.

Hannah Squire, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court the defendant first met the victim when she was working for Sanctuary Housing providing care services for him.

In the summer of 2015 she left that job but continued to work privately as a carer for Mr Porter, who trusted her 'implicitly'.

She said he has physical problems, leaving him essentially wheelchair bound, as well and mental issues including depression and schizophrenia.

During the time he employed her he had been very generous towards her, giving her some gifts of money when he heard she had problems in her personal life.

Among her duties were occasionally withdrawing money from cash machines so he could pay his other bills, Miss Squire said.

But within months he went from having about £11,000 in the bank to being overdrawn and in the spring of 2016 he fell into rent arrears.

When Lewis used a cheque to clear the debt staff at the housing association became concerned and when they mentioned it to him he told them he had his suspicious.

The police were called and they found not only had she been using his bank account as her own, but she had also applied for a credit card and opened catalogue accounts in his name.

Miss Squire said she had not only been withdrawing cash for herself buy also used his card to buy petrol, pay bills and on a gambling website.

"She was using it as when she chose, to buy things or supplement her income," she said.

While the police had put the loss to the victim at £14,565 Miss Squire said the Crown accepted it was just under £10,000 as some of the withdrawals had his consent.

When she was questioned she did not accept she had acted dishonestly saying everything had been given to her.

Lewis, of Willows Avenue, Pinehurst, pleaded guilty to three charges of fraud, denying a fourth count of fraud and another of theft.

She denied accessing his ISA between December 7, 2015, and January 26, 2016, and stealing a cheque to the value of £2,500 in August 2015.

Peter Binder, defending, said that the total she took over seven-and-a-half months was £9,875.

She has the care for her six-year-old granddaughter, he said, has no previous convictions.

He told the court that she could not believe she had done what she did and was extremely sorry to have put him through it.

The court heard she said she needed the money to pay for legal fees as she sought guardianship of the youngster.

Jailing her Judge Tim Mousley QC said "You targeted a vulnerable victim. The impact was serious: it had a serious detrimental effect on him.

"At one point you have taken so much money from him he was overdrawn and of course he was a person who was particularly vulnerable."  

Full Article & Source:
Carer rinsed elderly man's bank account as legal fees for guardianship of granddaughter mounted

Wise Co. caregiver sentenced in financial exploitation case

WISE, Va.—A Pound, Virginia, woman will serve nearly two years in prison for financial crimes she committed against a disabled elderly person in he care, according to Wise County Commonwealth's Attorney Chuck Slemp.

Latricia Rae Kiser, 40, previously pleaded guilty without a plea agreement to six counts of felony uttering and five counts of felony forgery in September. The Wise County Circuit Court heard evidence Tuesday at a sentencing hearing.

Kiser received a sentence of five years in the penitentiary with three years and two months suspended. She will serve an active prison term of one year and ten months within the custody of the Virginia Department of Corrections. After her release, Kiser will be required to complete three years of supervised probation and pay restitution to the victim, Slemp said.

Between Oct. 2016 and Jan. 2017, Kiser was hired to assist with taking care of a disabled elderly adult, Slemp said in a news release. During the time Kiser served as the victim’s home healthcare worker, Kiser stole checks from the person, Slemp said.

Kiser then forged the person’s name and without permission cashed six checks for various amounts totaling $1,750, Slemp said. The fraud was discovered when the victim’s family discovered inaccuracies in the checking account and called the police. When Wise County Sheriff’s Office deputies investigated, Kiser confessed her crimes, Slemp said.

"Financial exploitation of the disabled and elderly is far too common in our community," Slemp said. "Ms. Kiser was invited into a home, paid to care for another person, and then stole that person. She was entrusted with the care of a vulnerable individual and then betrayed that trust. A crime of this nature should offend everyone in our community. We will continue to fight to protect seniors and incapacitated adults from this kind of abuse and exploitation.”

Slemp expressed his appreciation for the diligent efforts made to investigate and prosecute this case, specifically the Wise County Department of Social Services, the Wise County Sheriff’s Department, and the Southwest Virginia Joint Senior Abuse Task Force.

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Wise Co. caregiver sentenced in financial exploitation case

Caregiver sentenced to year in prison for abusing 95-year-old woman

Roxann Bucchan-Straker

SILVER SPRING, Md. - A Maryland caregiver who pleaded guilty to abusing an elderly woman has been sentenced to a year in prison after being captured on video striking the victim several times.

Several videos shows Roxann Bucchan-Straker hitting the 95-year-old woman, who uses a wheelchair, in the head with a cell phone at least twice along with slapping the woman multiple times while she was eating her meals.

The physical abuse happened at the Springvale Terrace retirement community in Silver Spring in 2015.

Bucchan-Straker was given three years probation in addition to her prison sentence.



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Caregiver sentenced to year in prison for abusing 95-year-old woman

Caregiver sentenced for stealing from elderly woman

Berlicia Chambers

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A former caregiver will serve jail time and probation after pleading no contest to stealing thousands of dollars from an elderly woman with dementia.

Tallahassee police arrested 46-year-old Berlicia Chambers in May on elderly exploitation charges.

Court documents allege Chambers stole at least $14,800 over a four year span from a woman who she was hired to care for. Investigators say the 78-year-old victim had memory problems and showed signs of dementia.

Arrest records say Chambers used an ATM card to withdraw cash from the victim’s account, and used the victim’s credit card to pay for personal expenses, including her satellite TV and cell phone.

Chambers was sentenced to 120 days in jail, with 88 days credit for time already served. She was also ordered to serve 6 years of probation and pay restitution of $12,980.

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Caregiver sentenced for stealing from elderly woman

Caregiver sentenced for theft from 87-year-old

Beverly Joyce Kegley

After a Johnstown woman was sentenced to jail time, community service and probation for stealing nearly $50,000 from an 87-year-old woman over a 13-month period, the Cambria County Area Agency on Aging is urging the public to keep an eye out for and report suspicions of elder abuse and exploitation.

Beverly Joyce Kegley, 49, was working as an independent home health care provider when the thefts occurred, according to West Hills Regional police.

In a criminal complaint, police said Kegley was caring for a senior citizen in Southmont when she allegedly made unauthorized purchases on credit cards, unauthorized ATM withdrawals and overcharged for her services.

After the thefts were discovered by the victim’s tax preparer, the Cambria County Area Agency on Aging conducted a forensic audit, which revealed:

• Overpayment for services from April 2015 to April 2016 totaling $21,552.

• Unauthorized ATM withdrawals totaling $10,285.

• Unauthorized charges at Wal-Mart for $2,822.

• Unauthorized charges on a Chase credit card totaling $4,092.

• Unauthorized purchases on a Citi credit card for $10,730.

• Unauthorized transactions on a Sheetz Chase card for $446.

 On May 30, Kegley entered a guilty plea to two felony theft charges.

On July 11, Judge Tamara Bernstein sentenced Kegley to 45 days to two years in the Cambria County Prison, followed by 48 months of county probation.

In addition, Kegley was ordered to complete 160 hours of community service, have no contact with the victim and repay $38,928 in restitution, along with court fines and costs.

M. Veil Griffith, administrator of Cambria County Agency on Aging, said the department has a protective services unit whose purpose is to protect the elderly against abuse, self-neglect and financial exploitation.

Investigators are trained to handle these types of cases, she said, which are becoming more frequent as the region’s drug problem makes targets of elderly people who typically have their own homes and savings accounts.

An interest in the mail, specifically credit card statements, is often the biggest tell-tale sign that an elderly person is being taken advantage of financially, she said.

“That’s always the first red flag,” she said.

“They want to get to the mail first.”

Usually, an elderly victim who is being financially exploited by a caregiver is probably not being taken care of properly, Griffith added.

They may be isolated or miss regular doctor appointments, for example.

Although family members often are the most frequent perpetrators against the elderly, Griffith said other caregivers – as in Kegley’s case – are possible suspects.

It’s often safer to hire caregivers who are employed through personal care agencies that must follow state guidelines and require background checks for employees rather than independent caregivers, she said.

Aside from being careful in who you trust, Griffith added that it’s important for the elderly to balance their finances and keep a close eye on their bank statements.

“The sooner something like this can be detected, the less loss there is,” she said.

To make a report of suspected elderly abuse or financial exploitation, which can be done anonymously, contact the Cambria County Area Agency on Aging at 535-5595.

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Caregiver sentenced for theft from 87-year-old

Willmar woman, former caregiver of vulnerable adults, pleads guilty to financial exploitation

WILLMAR—A 36-year-old former caretaker for multiple local group homes pleaded guilty last week to one gross misdemeanor charge for stealing more than $8,400 from seven developmentally disabled adults.

Carrie Sue Wadsworth, of Willmar, was originally charged in April 2015 in Kandiyohi County District Court with two felony and two gross misdemeanor charges of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult. Each charge carried offense dates from February 2013.

Her plea June 27 to a gross misdemeanor charge came with an agreement to pay restitution, and a 15-day cap on jail time.

In a handwritten portion to the plea agreement, Wadsworth wrote that she "did not fulfill my responsibility of ... documentation for the position I was responsible for, which led to missing funds and documentation."

According to the criminal complaint, funds from seven different vulnerable adult clients of the Presbyterian Family Foundation disappeared between May 2013 and September 2014.
Financial records for the money showed numerous mysterious cash withdrawals, charged amounts and checks that did not have accompanying receipts or explanations for use, according to the criminal complaint

Wadsworth was a program director for the company during that time, in charge of managing the finances of each of the adult victims.

A Willmar Police Department detective received report of the situation in March 2015, during an interview with Presbyterian Family Foundation employees. Multiple employees reported that they believed Wadsworth had stolen $8,446 belonging to seven vulnerable adults.

In conversations with co-workers, Wadsworth had allegedly admitted to taking some of the missing money.

One employee told law enforcement she had a Feb. 5, 2015, conversation with Wadsworth during which Wadsworth reportedly admitted to stealing $900 from one of the vulnerable adults because of her own financial problems.

Another employee reported that she had received text messages from Wadsworth, in which Wadsworth apologized for her behavior and said she had a gambling problem.

Wadsworth had originally been granted a public defender, but then declined in favor of hiring private attorney Ralph Daby.

However, citing communication problems with Wadsworth, Daby withdrew from the case in April.

Wadsworth re-applied for a public defender, but her application was denied because she had previously declined that option.

No attorney is currently listed as assigned to Wadsworth in the case.

She is set to be sentenced July 29 in Kandiyohi County District Court.

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Willmar woman, former caregiver of vulnerable adults, pleads guilty to financial exploitation

Elder abuse: Caretaker nearly kills man

An elderly Arvada man hired a caretaker from jail, who proceeded to swindle him for $20,000 dollars and almost killed him, by pushing him down the stairs of his home and stomping on his head.

In November, Jana Bergman was sentenced to 208 years in prison for attacking 88-year-old Jack Woods.

While Woods’ story is horrific, it’s not unusual or rare.

A MATCH MADE IN … JAIL

In late 2013, Woods posted an ad in the paper looking for someone to help around the house.

“I needed a housekeeper and a cook, a companion that I could talk to and not be lonely, because this house is awful big to live in by myself,” Woods said.

Jana Bergman (Photo: Denver Police) According to court records, 32-year-old Bergman responded from jail. She wrote and called Woods. Telling him he was handsome, she didn’t care about their age difference and that she was a “care provider in every sense of the title.”

After a number of calls and jail house letters, Woods bailed Bergman out of jail and she came to live in his Arvada home in early 2014.

Bergman had a long criminal history with multiple felonies, including fraud, drugs and forgery. But despite that, Woods wanted to help. (Continue Reading)

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Elder abuse: Caretaker nearly kills man

Prattville caregiver steals cancer patient's identity

KMOV.com
AUTAUGA CO., AL (WSFA) - An Autauga County woman has learned her fate after stealing the identity of the elderly cancer patient she was hired to care for.

Sherry Walters was sentenced this week on charges of identity theft and financial exploitation of an elderly person.

The victim was identified as an 82-year-old Prattville man who is a disabled veteran.

“She had been a caregiver in the victim's residence. He was an elderly cancer patient. While caring for him in his residence, she gained access to his identifying information and was able to use his personal information for her personal benefit,” said Jessica Sanders, Assistant District Attorney with Alabama’s 19th Judicial Circuit.

Prosecutors say Walters used the victim's identifying information over a period of six months during a time when he was traveling out of state for cancer treatments.

Walters was placed on 18 months of supervised probation after receiving a suspended prison sentence. She was fined and ordered to pay restitution.

“This type of crime that occurs with someone who you trust to care for you and work in your residence does cause you to feel violated. I think they were disappointed that she could have done this or that she would have done this and they were disappointed to have been placed in this situation at all,” Sanders added.

John Matson with the Alabama Nursing Home Association says elder abuse can take many forms, including physical and mental abuse as well as financial exploitation.

He pointed out that in-home care is different from nursing homes and assisted living facilities where there are many people every day, including employees, other residents and volunteers. If something does happen in one of those locations, it's often much more easily spotted and much more quickly reported.

When it comes to hiring an in-home caregiver, he recommends using an established company.

“If you do go the route of hiring someone on your own or maybe placing an ad in a newspaper or somewhere to find someone to take care of your loved one at home, it's important to do a background check, specifically a criminal background check. You will want to get several references and follow up on those references. Those things can help give you a little peace of mind as you get to know this new caregiver for your loved one,” Matson explained.

He stressed to importance of reporting abuse or neglect to local authorities.  (Continue Reading)

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Prattville caregiver steals cancer patient's identity