A caregiver is banned from working with the elderly after she pleaded guilty to stealing thousands from a patient with Alzheimer’s disease, DeKalb County’s top prosecutor said.
Diandra Abernathy on Wednesday entered a guilty plea to three counts of exploitation of an elder person and two counts of identity fraud, DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston said Friday in a statement.
In 2014, the family of a now 90-year-old woman hired Abernathy to assist with medication, transportation, finances and light housekeeping in the patient’s Stone Mountain home, according to the statement.
She resigned in 2016, and the victim’s daughter soon discovered Abernathy forged checks to herself with the victim’s stamped signature, used her credit cards to make unauthorized purchases, and opened two store credit cards using the victim’s personal information, Boston said.
Authorities were contacted after Abernathy’s fraudulent transactions were discovered. In all, her financial crimes totaled more than $50,000, Boston said.
Abernathy, 41, was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay $55,407 in restitution. After she is released from prison, Abernathy will be on probation for 17 years.
Know what's really going on with crime and public safety in your metro Atlanta community, including breaking news, trial coverage, trends and the latest on unsolved cases. Sign up for the AJC's crime and safety newsletter delivered weekly to your inbox.
In other news:
About the Author
