Former caregiver at South Abington nursing home stole resident's check, police said

by Joseph Kohut

Dec. 7—A former caregiver at a South Abington Twp. nursing home stole a check from a resident and forged her signature for $600, police said.

Lakeyah Jones, 43, 926 Green Ridge St., Scranton, faces counts of forgery, financial exploitation of an older adult or care-dependent person, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.

Jones is free on $5,000 bail. Reached by phone Tuesday, she denied she stole the check and then declined to comment.

"I didn't take anything," she said.

Jones was fired from Abington Manor on Oct. 24 for unrelated issues, police said. Attempts to reach a representative from the nursing home were unsuccessful Tuesday.

Patrolman Paul Wolfe in November followed up on a report of theft at the nursing home and spoke with 78-year-old resident Carol St. Clair.

St. Clair, who worked as an accountant, discovered the theft while reviewing her monthly banking statement.

The check was made payable to the Lackawanna County Clerk of Judicial Records and had the word "rent" written in the memo line. Jones recently was brought to court as her landlord sought to evict her. Jones was $2,705 in arrears, court records show.

Staff at the nursing home called the county office and found out the check had been dropped off by Jones.

Wolfe interviewed Jones, who denied she stole the money. Jones said she told St. Clair she was "having a situation" and the 78-year-old woman cut her a check for $600.

St. Clair told police Jones lied.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled Dec. 20.

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Former caregiver at South Abington nursing home stole resident's check, police said

Former caregiver charged with identity theft

By Mike LaBella

LONDONDERRY — A New Hampshire woman who worked as a caregiver has been charged with stealing the identities of four elderly people who were in her care.

New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon J. MacDonald said Christina Lariviere, (who also goes by the names Christina Soleil and Christina Melvin), 35, of Bow, was arrested Friday on eight class A felony counts of identity fraud.

The charges allege that between July 10 and Aug. 14, 2019, Lariviere obtained the personal identifying information of four elderly people —ages 100, 97, 92 and 87 — without authorization and with the intent to pose as these individuals. The personal identifying information included social security numbers, state driver’s and non-driver’s identification numbers, and birth dates, according to a press release from MacDonald.

An investigation revealed that Lariviere obtained the personal information while employed as a caregiver at a long-term care facility in Londonderry where the elderly people lived, MacDonald said.

The charges also allege that between July 31, and Dec. 13, 2019, Lariviere, acting with a purpose to defraud, posed as two of these elderly people in order to open credit and financial accounts in their names, according to MacDonald.

The state is seeking an extended-term of imprisonment on all of the charges, alleging that Lariviere, in committing the crimes, intended to take advantage of the elderly people's ages and disabilities that impaired their abilities to manage their own property and financial resources.

Lariviere is expected to be arraigned on the charges in Rockingham County Superior Court this week.
This case was investigated jointly by the Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation Unit of the Attorney General’s Office and the Londonderry Police Department.

Lariviere was previously arrested on Jan. 30 of this year and charged in the Hillsborough County Superior Court-Southern District, with four class B felony counts of check forgery.

Those charges allege that while working as an in-home caregiver in Pelham in November 2019, Lariviere altered, without authority, personal checks belonging to residents of an elderly housing facility.

Lariviere has since been charged in Hillsborough County Superior Court-Southern District with additional counts of theft by unauthorized taking and attempted theft by unauthorized taking, MacDonald said.

Lariviere also has charges pending in Rockingham County Superior Court for attempted theft by unauthorized taking, theft by unauthorized taking and fraudulent use of a credit card.

Lariviere has also been charged with one class A felony count of identity fraud in the Hillsborough County Superior Court – Northern District.

The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Bryan J. Townsend, II, of the Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation Unit.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of elder abuse or financial exploitation, please contact your local police department or the Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services at 1-800-949-0470.

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Former caregiver charged with identity theft

Palermo woman arrested for elder abuse in Chico

CHICO, Calif. - A Palermo woman was arrested March 15 for elder abuse and other charges after evidence was found in her home linking her to two different financial exploitation's of elderly residents.

In December 2016, Chico Police Officer Marcelo Escobedo responded to a report of the financial exploitation of a disabled elderly Chico resident. The victim's son suspected a former caregiver, Deidra Plaster-Egger, 33, of stealing his father's wallet and making numerous charges at businesses in the Chico and Oroville areas.

Officer Escobedo was able to retrieve surveillance video from multiple businesses showing Plaster-Egger using the victim's credit cards.

The case was subsequently assigned to the Chico Police Departments Detective Bureau. In March 2017, detectives obtained information that Plaster-Egger was staying in a home on Country Club Road in Palermo. A warrant was issued for Plaster-Egger's arrest.

On March 15, detectives from the Chico Police Department and the Butte County Sheriff's Office stopped a vehicle driven by Plaster-Egger. Plaster-Egger was arrested without incident.

A search warrant was served at the home on Country Club Road where evidence was recovered linking Plaster-Egger to the Chico case. Police said additional evidence related to the financial exploitation of a second elderly victim was also located at the home.

Plaster-Egger was booked into the Butte County Jail for elder abuse, residential burglary, identity theft, and commercial burglary. She is being held on $290,000 bail. 

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Palermo woman arrested for elder abuse in Chico