Imprisoned for stealing more than 30,000 euros from the octogenarian she cared for in Alicante

The Third Section ofthe Provincial Court of Alicantehas sentenced a woman to one year and nine months in prison for defrauding 31,457 euros from an octogenarian she cared for during the pandemic lockdown. The convicted woman made up to 48 cash withdrawals at various ATMs of the victim's bank branch spread across the city, as well as several online purchases.

The woman started working for two sisters aged 85 and 90 in 2020 until one of them passed away in August of that same year. The convict was employed as a live-in caregiver and spent the COVID lockdown at their home.

The sentence, issued after a plea agreement between the parties in which the woman admitted to the facts and agreed to the imposed penalty, considers the convict guilty of a continuous fraud offense, acknowledging the aggravating factor of abuse of trust and the mitigating factor of damage repair.

The ruling details that the caregiver took advantage of the lockdown period and the victim's health condition to find out where she kept her credit card and its PIN, overhearing it from the octogenarian's niece.

Thus, with the intent to enrich herself and without the victim's knowledge, she made up to 48 withdrawals of 600 euros each at an ATM in an Alicante bank branch. She managed to appropriate 28,000 euros while making online purchases worth 2,657 euros, an amount that was reimbursed to the victim by the bank.

Of the 28,000 euros stolen, 9,900 euros were recovered during the investigation when a search was conducted at the caregiver's home. The sentence orders the caregiver to pay 35,980 euros to the victim, of which she had already deposited 19,900 euros into the court account before the trial began. The sentence is final and cannot be appealed.