Oxnard caregiver arrested for elder abuse and forgery after allegedly cashing over $3000 in checks from elderly client
OJAI, Calif. – A 25-year-old Oxnard caregiver for an 81-year-old Ojai woman was arrested in January for elder abuse, forgery, and grand theft after she allegedly cashed over $3000 in checks into her personal bank account.
On Sep. 12, 2024, deputies at the Ojai Patrol Station were dispatched to a call of financial elder abuse in the unincorporated area of Ojai stated a press release Thursday from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, an investigation revealed that a caregiver for an 81-year-old Ojai woman had been using their position to steal and alter checks that belonged to the elderly woman.
Ojai Sheriff's Station Detectives received the case and identified the 81-year-old woman's 25-year-old caregiver from Oxnard as the suspect shared the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
Detectives learned that the 25-year-old was taking advantage of the elderly woman's cognitive decline by altering checks that an alert bookkeeper noticed and alerted the victim's family explained the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
Ventura County Sheriff's Office detailed that over $3000 in checks were altered and forged and made payable to the 25-year-old caregiver who then deposited the checks into her personal account.
On Jan. 23, the 25-year-old woman was arrested in Oxnard and booked into the Ventura County Jail on an arrest warrant for violations of Penal Code 368(d)(1)-Elder Abuse, Penal Code 470(d)-Forgery, and Penal Code 487(a)-Grand Theft stated the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
