Vermont man charged with stealing from elderly aunt

NEWPORT, Vt. (WCAX) A Vermont man is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from his 84-year-old aunt.

Police say Eric Brigham, 52, of Williamstown, stole $48,000 from his elderly aunt who lives in Newport by abusing his power of attorney. They say Brigham spent the money on himself. He's also accused of selling his aunt's belongings when she entered a nursing home. Investigators think he may have left her with debt, too, with more than $20,000 owed to credit card companies and her nursing home.

Brigham is due in court next month. He's charged with financial exploitation.

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Vermont man charged with stealing from elderly aunt

Two former certified nursing assistants charged with stealing more than $500K from elderly patients

INDIAN RIVER SHORES, Fla. - Two Vero Beach women, who are former certified nursing assistants, are in jail for stealing more than $500,000 from elderly people they cared for in Indian River Shores.

“Here locally, this is probably one of this biggest ones that we’ve seen. That’s a lot of money,” said Indian River Shores Police Officer Albert Iovino.

Chiquita McGee and Sophia Shephard (AKA Sophia Brown) were arrested Tuesday on charges for exploitation of the elderly, organized fraud and scheme to defraud a financial institution.

Indian River Shores police say the duo convinced two elderly patients to open credit cards under McGee and Shephard’s name, linked to the victims' accounts, with an unlimited credit line.

Police said the pair purchased personal items, such as cosmetic dental work, plastic surgery, cruises, expensive jewelry, clothing, an engine for one of their cars, exotic car rental (a Rolls-Royce Ghost for five days at $995.00 per day), hotels in various Florida cities, and they paid a fine out of St. Lucie County.

Police said the total amount for all fraud related to the case is at least $543,973. The pair also fraudulently obtained checks from the victims, police say.

The women were self-employed, and contracted by Indian River Home Care Plus, according to the home health care company’s owner, Margot Kornicks, RN.

Kornicks released the following statement to WPTV:

The charges against Chiquita McGee and Sophia Shepherd are incontestably serious, and elderly exploitation is both deplorable and intolerable. Indian River Home Care (agency) and Indian River Home Care Plus (nurse registry) stand behind this statement, and we will and always have vetted both our employees and our contractors to the upmost degree, according to Florida state statute.

The contract with McGee and Shepherd was terminated on Nov. 16, 2017, due to unprofessional behavior including using abusive language toward staff members and forging hours. At that time, we did not know about the fraud. 

We learned of the fraudulent actions from the family at the end of November, and immediately reported the illegal activity to the authorities. Our commitment to our clients is steadfast, and we unwaveringly support our patients, their families and this community.

Lovino offered advice for anyone needing home health care for a loved one.

“You have to advocate for your loved ones. Follow up with these people. Find out as much as you can about the home health agency that’s providing the care. Spend the first three or four visits with the healthcare individual,” Lovino said.

He also said you can talk to your loved one about obtaining power of attorney to help track your loved ones expenses, and credit accounts.

McGee and Shepherd are being held in jail without bond and have a court appearance Wednesday.

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Two former certified nursing assistants charged with stealing more than $500K from elderly patients

Akron couple charged with stealing more than $600,000 from elderly father

An Akron man and his wife were charged with stealing more than $600,000 from his father’s bank account.

Summit County sheriff’s deputies arrested Kevin J. Story, 42, and his wife, Crystal J. Hennacy Story, 41, both of Akron, early Friday morning on charges of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from Kevin Story’s 77-year-old father. The couple were booked into Summit County Jail and have been charged with theft from the elderly, a first-degree felony.

A spokesman for the sheriff’s office said Kevin Story had access to his father’s account “at one point,” and used that access to make multiple withdrawals over the past 11 months.

In July, a detective with the sheriff’s office teamed up with investigators from Adult Protective Services, a government agency that looks into abuse, neglect and exploitation of the elderly, after the agency received information about alleged criminal activity.

Investigators said the couple used the money to buy “a house, several vehicles, including a motorcycle, and numerous guns.”

More charges could follow as the investigation continues, authorities said.

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Akron couple charged with stealing more than $600,000 from elderly father

NJ Lawyer Indicted for Stealing From Elderly Client

A disbarred New Jersey lawyer is facing charges that he fleeced an elderly client out of nearly $100,000.

A state grand jury on Nov. 9 indicted Jersey City solo Joseph Talafous Jr., 53, on charges of second-degree theft by deception and misapplication of entrusted property, according to a statement released by Acting Attorney General John Hoffman and Elie Honig, the director of the Division of Criminal Justice.

Talafous, a Toms River resident, was disbarred by consent in August, according to records maintained by the state Administrative Office of the Courts.

The division's Financial and Computer Crimes Bureau said Talafous stole more than $96,000 by making unauthorized withdrawals from the bank account and estate of an elderly man he represented. The victim was not identified.

Between November 2008 and November 2010, Talafous allegedly used his power of attorney to make numerous unauthorized withdrawals from an investment account of the client and, after the client died in early 2010, from the client's estate, the Attorney General's Office said.

Talafous is charged with falsely representing that the withdrawals, which totaled $96,020, represented fees for legal services. However, Talafous never submitted any bills or records of legal services to support the withdrawals. He allegedly stole $61,175 from the investment account and $34,845 from the estate, the Attorney General's Office said.

In his statement, Hoffman said the case was referred to the Division of Criminal Justice by the New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics.

"Lawyers are supposed to diligently guard the interests of their clients, but instead Talafous allegedly took advantage of this elderly client to the tune of $96,000, repeatedly stealing from the ailing man while he lived and then continuing to steal from his estate," Hoffman said in his statement. "Talafous' conduct was deplorable."

Talafous' voicemail was full and attempts to contact him for comment were unsuccessful.

Talafous faces a possible five- to 10-year prison sentence a $150,000 fine if convicted.

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NJ Lawyer Indicted for Stealing From Elderly Client

Woman charged with stealing from the elderly

Thursday, October 8, 2015
By JONATHON DAWE 

A former bookkeeper at Crowley Ridge Healthcare Center in Dexter, Missouri, was arrested Monday and charged with financial exploitation of the elderly.

Sandra D. Campbell, 48, of Dexter was allegedly using funds from the resident trust account at the center to purchase clothing items for herself.

A report states that director of operations Jo Noe and administrator Joyce Henry conducted an investigation after the business received two deliveries July 14 that were addressed to residents and Campbell.

The investigation concluded Campbell allegedly had used approximately $2,210.63 for her own purchases.

About eight victims were identified in the investigation, according to the report, and a search of the victims' belongings showed that none of the victims were in possession of the purchased items.

The report goes on to say that Noe reviewed the transaction history from 2014-2015 and found that vendors who were not ordinarily used to purchase residents' clothing and personal items were listed on transactions.

Noe also reportedly went online and printed photographs of the items Campbell allegedly bought. When presented with the photographs, the social services director and the activity director, who typically assist with shopping orders, recognized the items as having been worn by Campbell in the previous months. While interviewing different department managers, Noe was told Campbell had worn several of the items.

According to the report, Campbell also had a Facebook account under the name "Susan Montigo," where she was attempting to sell some shoes she had ordered using resident trust account funds.

The report states each item was purchased via check from Crowley Ridge Healthcare Center. Each of the checks had been signed by Campbell, and the signatures were verified.

Noe said the residents are required to sign a Resident Trust Disbursement Request, and the center has reimbursed the resident trust account.

After her arrest, Campbell's bond was set at $50,000, with 10 percent cash allowed. She later posted bond and was released.

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Woman charged with stealing from the elderly