Palm Desert Elder Abuse Suspect Siphoned $100K From Bank Account: Police

PALM DESERT, CA — A 38-year-old man accused of siphoning almost $100,000 from the bank accounts of a Palm Desert senior was charged Wednesday with grand theft and financial elder abuse.

Miguel Angel Gonzalez of Coachella was arrested Monday following a Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation that began in August.

Gonzalez, who is being held at the Benoit Detention Center in lieu of $50,000 bail, was slated to make his initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Jeff Cryder, deputies received a report in the latter half of August alleging that Gonzalez had been involved in a years-long series of thefts targeting the victim, identified only as a resident of the 100 block of Gold Canyon Drive.

The specific relationship between the defendant and victim was not disclosed.

Cryder said detectives spent several months investigating the matter, ultimately determining that Gonzalez was allegedly responsible for unauthorized transactions in which he had diverted tens of thousands of dollars to himself for personal use.

It was unclear how the victim became aware of the alleged embezzlement.

Deputies served an arrest warrant on Gonzalez at his home in the 84000 block of Calle Diego Monday afternoon, when he was taken into custody without incident.

He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.