Three Care Workers Face Fraud Charges for Allegedly Stealing Money from Vulnerable Woman

Three care workers are currently facing fraud charges after allegedly taking “large sums of money” from the bank account of a vulnerable woman they were responsible for caring for. The victim, who suffers from ALS, a debilitating neurodegenerative disease, is reliant on round-the-clock care due to her condition.

Amherst police have identified the victim as a woman with ALS who requires extensive care and assistance on a daily basis. The three care workers in question were entrusted with access to her bank account as part of their caregiving responsibilities.

Following a 13-month investigation, it was discovered that the care workers had withdrawn funds from the woman’s account to compensate themselves for the hours they had purportedly worked. However, further scrutiny revealed significant disparities between the reported hours and the actual time spent providing care.

The victim became aware of the missing funds in November 2023 and promptly reported the discrepancy to the authorities. It was estimated that approximately $40,000 had been unlawfully taken from her account.

Amherst Police Corporal Tom Wood declined to disclose the identity of the agency that employed the accused care workers. Each of the three individuals has been charged with fraud exceeding $5,000 and is scheduled to appear in court for their hearing next month.