BUFFALO, N.Y. — A 41-year-old woman has admitted to stealing over $41,000 from her previous elderly resident while she was a care aide.
Latonia N. Turner of Buffalo pleaded guilty on Tuesday afternoon to claims that she had stolen from an elderly resident that she was a car aide to at a senior living facility in the Town of Amherst, according to the news release.
Between April 27 and June 8, 2023, Turner had stolen the resident's debit card out of their purse while they were asleep. She then used the debit card to make 55 unauthorized ATM withdrawals and was able to do so because the resident also had written down their bank info on a sheet that was in the purse as well.
The crime was discovered later after the victim had noticed the charges on a bank statement, and reported it as fraudulent. They were then reimbursed which totaled $41,216.
Turner confessed she had done it while the police conducted the investigation, and camera surveillance at both the bank and senior center confirmed her as the culprit as well.
In front of the State Supreme Court, she pleaded guilty to one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree and the highest sustainable charge. She will likely face a maximum of 7 years in prison when she returns to court on October 24, 2023.
“Anyone can become the victim of a financial crime, so I encourage everyone to take extra precautions to safeguard their personal information. Please, do not write passwords or PINs on your debit card or anywhere that can be easily located by a scammer,” said Erie County DA John Flynn.