An assisted living aide said the looming threat of becoming homeless was what prompted her to steal a resident’s wallet and checkbook before eventually being arrested for forging $10,000 in checks.
Police say Jessica Solomon, 37, of East Hartford, CT, stole the items shortly after getting hired as an aide at the South Windsor, CT, facility. She later told investigators she needed the money for rent and repairs, a local NBC affiliate reported Monday.
Solomon, who was briefly employed at the assisted living facility, reportedly cooperated with the investigators and was charged with five counts of identity theft in the first degree, five counts of forgery in the second degree, larceny in the third degree, larceny in the fourth degree, and several counts of larceny in the fifth degree and larceny in the sixth degree, the affiliate reported. The judge sentenced the woman to five years in prison, the term of which will be suspended after a year, followed by a five-year probation.
The exact number of identity theft cases in long-term care is not known, but Federal Trade Commission officials believe the elderly in long-term care settings are among the most vulnerable because of prevalent third-party access and debilitating conditions like dementia.
This article originally appeared on McKnight's
