Former Senior Living Facility Aide Pleads Guilty to Stealing $93,000 from Resident
A former caregiver, who worked as an aide in an Arizona senior living facility, was recently sentenced to serve 18 months in federal prison for stealing over $93,000 from a resident in the facility. The accused pleaded guilty last spring to one count of bank fraud after she was earlier indicted on five counts of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Court documents indicated that the woman worked as an aide in the facility from February 2016 to December 2018. The victim in the case was a 92-year-old female resident in the facility who lived there from August 2017 to December 2018.
When confronted about the theft, the defendant lied and told federal investigators that she had become friends with the elderly resident and that the woman gave her money to help her pay her bills. However, prosecutors reported that the victim only “vaguely recognized a photograph of the defendant and stated that she did not give her any money.”
In a memorandum related to the sentencing of the defendant, federal prosecutors reported that the former aide had gained access to the victim’s banking information. Over a period of 17 months the defendant wrote checks to herself and also used the resident’s banking information to electronically pay her personal bills, i.e., cell phone, cable service, credit cards, car loan, and car insurance. Altogether, the defendant wrote more than 50 checks from the victim’s account.
Compliance Perspective
Failure to ensure that residents’ financial information is protected and not accessible to staff members who might seek to misappropriate and exploit residents’ assets for personal gain may be considered provision of substandard quality of care, in violation of state and federal regulations.
Discussion Points:
- Review policies and procedures designed to ensure that residents’ financial information is not accessible to staff members or others.
- Train staff regarding Misappropriation and/or Exploitation of residents’ personal and financial assets, including reporting suspected incidents of theft to their supervisor or through the Hotline.
- Periodically audit by interviewing residents and/or their family members/guardians to ensure that residents’ financial information has not been accessed by staff or any person for exploitation and personal gain. Consider periodically sharing information through the Residents’ Council regarding the importance of safeguarding of personal financial information.
