A woman who worked at a Maryland assisted living facility for 14 years was sentenced to prison for stealing jewelry and other items from residents, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office announced on March 2, 2023. The former employee had pleaded guilty to stealing and pawning items from residents at the facility,
An investigation into the woman began in March 2022 after the family of one of the residents discovered that several pieces of jewelry and a cell phone were missing from a secured bedroom at the facility. Investigators discovered that the woman had stolen items from at least 11 residents, beginning in 2015. She reportedly received at least $7,700 from selling 81 items from various residents to a pawn shop.
She was sentenced to five years in prison, suspended for all but 18 months, and five years of supervised probation upon release. She was also ordered to pay $7,700 in restitution to the families of the residents from whom she stole the items.
Lauren DeMarco, spokesperson for the State’s Attorney’s Office, said that the woman “was entrusted with the care of vulnerable adults and violated that trust when she stole their possessions and used the items for her personal financial gain. Multiple items had great sentimental value to the families who were victimized, and those items have not been recovered. We thank Judge Greenberg for this appropriate sentence. It should serve as a deterrent for anyone looking to use their position to exploit a vulnerable person in this way.”
Compliance Perspective
Issue
Residents have the right to be free from abuse, neglect, and misappropriation of resident property. Facilities must exercise reasonable care for the protection of residents’ property from loss or theft. Residents’ property includes all residents’ possessions, regardless of their apparent value to others since they may hold intrinsic value to the resident. Examples of resident property include jewelry, clothing, furniture, money, and electronic devices, the resident’s personal information such as name and identifying information, credit cards, bank accounts, driver’s licenses, and social security cards.
Discussion Points
- Review policies and procedures regarding the facility’s responsibility to safeguard residents’ financial property, especially personal resources like cash, bank and credit cards, and valuable items like jewelry kept in residents’ possession.
- Train staff on each resident’s right to be free from abuse, neglect, misappropriation, and exploitation, and staff members’ responsibility to report any instances of suspected theft to their supervisor or through the Hotline.
- Periodically audit to determine if residents are being provided with personal lock boxes and that they understand the importance of using them to store their valuables. Ensure that any reports of lost items are thoroughly investigated.
*This news alert has been prepared by Med-Net Concepts, LLC for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice.*
