Stolen Check Writing Spree Ends with Pair’s Arrest

Kansas City residents commit their ailing and infirm loved ones to the care of nursing homes and rehabilitation centers with the expectation that those family members and friends will be well taken care of. Still, news stories of nursing home abuse may leave them on the lookout for any signs that their loved ones may be being mistreated. Typically, the indicators they look for are all plainly visible, such as unexplained bruises or scars, or sudden changes in their family members or friends’ moods. However, there is another form of mistreatment going on in nursing homes that leaves no scars: financial abuse.

A New Jersey man and his mother-in-law were both recently arrested for having participated in that very thing. Investigators discovered that he had stolen the checkbook of an elderly resident of a local rehabilitation facility (where he worked as a certified nursing aide). He then forged several of the checks and proceeded to try and cash them at several different locations in conjunction with his mother-in-law (who even went so far as to open a new bank account to attempt to cash them). Ultimately, the two stole over $34,000 of the resident’s money.

Cases of financial elder abuse such as this one often only come to light after the perpetrators steal large enough sums of money that they get noticed. This theft may be done by either stealing directly from victims (like in the case detailed above) or in coercing elderly wards to sign money or financial decision-making authority over to their abusers. Regardless of the circumstances, those who see their loved ones’ money stolen in this way should do all that they can to try and recover it. An attorney may be a good source of advice on how to do so.

Source: NJ.com “Nursing home worker, mother-in-law stole $34K from patient: AG’s office” Zeitlinger, Ron, Feb. 06, 2018