ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Caregiver Allegedly Stole Checks From Eight Residents
Checks Forged And Cashed Out Of State
Arrest For Numerous Criminal Counts
Theft of cash, checks or credits card is a constant risk for seniors who have caregivers or other strangers enter their, particularly if the senior lives alone. But seniors living in nursing homes and assisted care facilities are also exposed to the same risks in the very facilities that are intended and paid to protect and care for them. Whether the theft occurs in a senior’s home or in a nursing home or assisted care facility, theft of cash, checks, credit cards and any other property constitutes financial elder abuse which itself is a crime and grounds for a civil lawsuit for damages and other relief under California law. See Cal. Penal Code § 368 (crime of elder abuse) and Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code §§ 15610.30 (definition of financial elder abuse for civil liability) and 15657.5 (mandatory awards of attorneys’ fees and costs to victims and families in financial elder abuse cases). Evans Law Firm. Inc. represents victims of any kind of financial elder abuse and their families, and pursue all persons responsible, including the caregiver or other person taking the property and the owners, administrators and staff responsible for supervising that individual and who have a duty to protect residents from any kind of abuse. If you or a loved one has been the victim of financial elder abuse in San Francisco, Marin County or anywhere in the Bay Area or throughout California, call us today at (415)441-8669. Our toll-free number is 1-888-50EVANS (888-503-8267).
Recent Nursing Home Caregiver Arrest
In one reported caregiver case,[1] a former employee of a nursing home is charged with stealing more than $500,000 in checks from former residents of the home. According to a criminal complaint, the former aide is accused of stealing checks from eight residents during his time as an employee. The first recorded theft occurred in 2019 and involved a check stolen and cashed at a bank in another state. The following year, three more checks were reported as forged. Two checks totaling $185,000 were found cashed from another deceased resident’s bank account after the son checked his father’s bank statements online. One of these checks was cashed when the father was in a coma and another when the father was in a hospital, according to police. The third incident of a stolen check, totaling $55,000, was reported by the daughter of two deceased parents after she saw a check was cashed the day after her parents’ death. The director of the nursing home where the residents lived told police that four more checks were stolen from three additional residents. One of the checks was issued for $90,000 but was caught by the bank before any money was taken from the account. When the police arrested the suspect, he reportedly told police that he was part of a group organized to steal checks from the elderly and cash them in other states to avoid detection. His case is pending.
Preventing Caregiver Theft
Whether your senior loved one lives at home under the care of an in-home caregiver or is in a nursing home, attending caregivers should never have access to cash, checks or credit cards or any financial information like bank account numbers and Social Security numbers. Monitor credit cards and bank accounts online as frequently as possible. If you suspect anything wrong, do something about it right away. Have financial statements and important papers mailed to your own address so others do not have access to you loved one’s business mail. Never, ever grant a power of attorney to a caregiver or nursing home staff member. Accompany older loved ones whenever they go shopping or go to the bank or have any sort of meeting about financial matters.
Contact Us
If you suspect financial elder abuse of a loved one, friend or neighbor in Marin County, or elsewhere in California, call Ingrid M. Evans at Evans Law Firm, Inc. at (415) 441-8669, or by email at info@evanslaw.com. Our toll-free number is 1-888-50EVANS (888-503-8267). Ingrid pursues all available remedies for families and injured seniors against those responsible.
[1] Evans Law Firm, Inc. was not involved in any of these cases in any way.
