ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
$87,000 In Cash In Attic Filing Cabinet
Missing Jewelry Pawned By Caregiver
Caregiver In Home For Six Months
Cash, jewelry, checks, and other valuables can vanish whenever a stranger enters an elderly person’s home. The risk is particularly high if the stranger, like a caregiver, has access for hours to every part of a senior’s home. Theft from any person over 65 is a crime and also criminal financial elder abuse and grounds for civil liability against the person who took the property. Penal Code § 368; Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code § 15610.30(a). Anyone assisting in financial elder abuse, even if another person is the one who physically takes the elder’s property, also commits financial elder abuse and is responsible for the property taken. Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code § 15610.30(a)(2). If you or a loved one has been the victim of financial elder abuse by a caregiver or other person in Los Angeles, Orange County or elsewhere in California, call us today at (415)441-8669. We will pursue all persons responsible for a senior’s injury. Our toll-free number is 1-888-50EVANS (888-503-8267).
Caregivers Arrested For Theft Of Cash
In one recently reported case,[1] a caregiver has been arrested and accused of stealing money kept by an elderly couple in a filing cabinet in the attic of their residence. Victims told police that the door to the attic was locked at all times. The victim mentioned that approximately $25,000 was stolen from a bank bag in one drawer of the cabinet and approximately $62,000 was taken from a red lock box in the bottom drawer. According to the victim, the money had been saved by them for over 26 years. The caregiver was hired as a sitter for the victim and her husband through an agency and worked for the couple for about six months before the theft was discovered. The victim stated that when she returned home on a few occasions, she observed the caregiver hurrying down the stairs of the residence. The victim was missing the key to the attic and jewelry from her residence. Through the Sheriff’s investigation, they discovered that the caregiver pawned multiple pieces of jewelry and allegedly went on a vacation to Las Vegas. Deputies questioned other sitters who filled in for the primary caregiver from time to time and discovered that they did not go near the attic. The caregiver is being held on charges of felony theft and financial elder abuse,
Preventing Elders From Financial Abuse And Theft
Any senior, like the older couple in the reported, is vulnerable to theft when strangers are working in his or her home as caregivers or doing any other kind of work. If you or your older loved one has in-home assistance of any kind make sure their cash, credit and debit cards, jewelry, and other valuables are completely removed from anyone’s reach. This probably will require removing cash and valuables from the house entirely as no place inside the home would be safe from an unscrupulous caregiver with hours to roam the house looking for valuables. Take other important precautions too. Never give a caregiver a credit card or ATM card to shop or get cash for a senior. Keep financial information, bank account numbers and Social Security numbers away from a caregiver’s or other stranger’s glance. Never, ever grant a power of attorney to a caregiver. Visit your older loved one as regularly as you can to see firsthand how they are doing and find out what is going on with them as the friend did in the reported cash. Most important of all, if you suspect anything wrong, do something about it right away.
Contact Us
Ingrid M. Evans represents elder and dependent adults in Los Angeles, Orange County or elsewhere in California who are victims of any kind of financial exploitation or other abuse. Ingrid can be reached at (415) 441-8669 or TOLL FREE 1-888-80EVANS (888-503-8267), or email us at <a href=”mailto:info@evanslaw.com”>info@evanslaw.com</a>.
[1] Evans Law Firm, Inc. was not involved in the reported case in any way.
