Caretaker charged with exploiting elderly woman

By Odessa American

A 54-year-old home care provider was arrested after police say she used her patient’s debit card to retrieve cash from an ATM.

Elva Garcia Valenzuela, 54, was charged with exploitation of the elderly, a third-degree felony.

An Odessa Police Department probable cause affidavit detailed the complainant, identified as 71-year-old Rosemary Orta, reported her homecare provider, Valenzuela, who was employed by Caprock Home Health Services, used her debit card to retrieve cash from an ATM located in Odessa without her authorization or consent on May 27.

Orta told police that she previously gave her card to Valenzuela to purchase groceries and a belt for her scooter. The fraudulent transactions happened between May 27 and May 29 at the Chase Bank ATM located at 1607 N. County Road West.

Valenzuela was read the Miranda Warning and she waived her rights and admitted to getting money from the said ATM on May 27, May 28 and May 29, which wasn’t used for Orta’s needs.

Valenzuela was booked into the Ector County Law Enforcement Center on Jan. 4, jail records show. She had one bond totaling $9,000 and posted bail on Jan. 4.

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Caretaker charged with exploiting elderly woman

Former Car Salesman Charged with Exploitation of Elderly Woman

Police in May arrested a man for assuming responsibility and care for a 92-year-old woman and exploiting her financials, according to court reports.

Twenty-six-year-old, Taylor Few waived his Preliminary Hearing this morning to the felony charge of exploitation of a vulnerable adult.

Court papers say Few be-friended the woman while working as a salesman at White’s Mountain Motors.

Papers continue to show, through the span of nine months, Few gained over $165,000 from thirteen different checks from the woman.

An additional $17,000 was withdrawn in cash from the woman’s accounts, with no explanation for the withdraws.

Through the course of the investigation, court papers detail how Few assisted the woman in buying, trading and buying other vehicles from Whites for the woman, where Few received $3,000 in commissions.

Papers say, Few dodged police questions, yet he did say he planned to pay the woman back, after she had given him money for his business once his business started “doing good.”

Few is currently out on bond waiting for his District Court hearing in the next few weeks.

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Former Car Salesman Charged with Exploitation of Elderly Woman