Oakland County Caretaker Steals $170K From Elderly Woman: Police

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI — A Pontiac woman is facing numerous charges after police said she stole nearly $170,000 from an elderly Bloomfield Township woman she was supposed to be helping.

Marivelis Serrano, 48, was charged with 18 counts, including one count of embezzlement $100,000 or more, twelve counts of uttering and publishing and five counts of identity theft. She was placed in jail on a $50,000 bond.

Serrano, who would help the 85-year-old woman with cleaning and other day-to-day work, stole roughly $160,000 from the elderly woman and transferred the funds to her own accounts, according to police.

Serrano also used the elderly woman's debit card to gamble online and to buy thousands of dollars worth of goods, including $6,200 in Amazon purchases and $3,600 in Instacart purchases, according to police.

The Bloomfield Township Police Department said in a news release that it "takes crime against vulnerable members of our community very seriously and are committed to finding justice for the victims."