A babysitter hired by a Chamblee family in 2015 pleaded guilty Monday to stealing more than $5,000 and going on a wild shopping spree, according to Channel 2 Action News.
Gina Groves was sentenced to serve seven years of a 25-year sentence in prison, according to Channel 2 Action News.
She pleaded guilty to six felony charges of identity fraud in Cherokee County.
The McCarthy family found out after Groves stole and used their credit card, even though she appeared to check out on the babysitting service website Care.com.
The woman they let into their home to watch their son and later take care of their dog had a string of criminal charges in several metro Atlanta counties, police said.
“Reading her glowing reviews, I figured she would be perfect,” Keating McCarthy previously told Channel 2.
The McCarthys said Groves, who went by the name Regina Christopher on Care.com, tried to open several credit card accounts with their information, and then boxes began arriving at their home with merchandise the couple didn’t order.
They contacted the police after Groves dropped off their dog when the couple returned from the beach. They learned Groves was also wanted on various charges in DeKalb, Fulton, Cherokee and Douglas counties.
The family said the background check process failed to identify Groves as a convicted felon.
Groves also had outstanding warrants for her arrest, but Care.com failed to uncover those through a background check.
Care.com markets itself as “the world’s largest” online marketplace for connecting families who need sitters and other care givers.
The service, however, also warns that it “does not employ, recommend or endorse any care provider or care seeker nor is it responsible for the conduct of any care provider or care seeker.”
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