A caregiver has been apprehended by authorities after being suspected of embezzling over $10,000 from an elderly couple residing in Los Altos Hills. The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, Brooks Jarosz, revealed in a news release on Tuesday that the couple’s debit card had been unlawfully used to make 15 unauthorized withdrawals from ATMs in Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and Mountain View back in December.
The theft came to light in February when the victims’ daughter was organizing their tax documents and noticed the irregularities. Prompted by the report, the sheriff’s office initiated an investigation, which ultimately led to the identification of a 44-year-old Santa Clara man as the prime suspect. The individual was employed by a caretaking services company and had been temporarily assigned as a caregiver for the Los Altos Hills victims.
Jarosz disclosed that four of the unauthorized withdrawals occurred at 7-Eleven ATMs in Santa Clara, while the remaining took place at Bank of America ATMs, with most withdrawals amounting to $900 each. In total, the victims suffered a loss of $10,607 due to the fraudulent activities.
On April 16, the suspect was apprehended and subsequently booked into the county jail. He now faces charges of unlawful use of a debit card and financial elder abuse by a caregiver.
Authorities suspect that there may be additional victims involved in similar incidents. The suspect had recently been hired as a caregiver in September and had successfully passed a background check conducted by the company. He claimed to possess four years of experience in the caregiving field.
