Caregiver Gets Prison For Stealing $19K From Elderly Client At Knifepoint: DA

PEARL RIVER, NY — A home health aide who was convicted of forcing an elderly client at knifepoint to write her nearly $19,000 in checks must serve between five and 15 years in prison.

On Wednesday, Judge Kevin F. Russo imposed the sentence on Delores Anderson, 60, of the Bronx, New York, during a proceeding in Rockland County Court.

Back in May, a jury convicted Anderson of five counts of second-degree grand larceny following a weeklong trial.

Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II said the sentence ensures Anderson is held accountable.

“The defendant abused her position of trust to exploit and terrorize a vulnerable elderly man for her own financial gain,” Walsh said.

Prosecutors said Anderson worked as a live-in home healthcare aide for a 78-year-old man who was living in a senior assisted living complex in Pearl River.

On May 5, 2023, Anderson coerced the victim into writing a personal check payable to her, according to the district attorney’s office.

“Armed with a kitchen knife, she threatened the victim, instilling fear that if he did not comply, she would cause him physical harm,” prosecutors said.

The victim complied and wrote two checks payable to Anderson, each for $4,082.

On July 25, 2023, Anderson again threatened the victim, pressing a kitchen knife against his stomach and demanding he write three additional checks to her, prosecutors said. The man wrote her two checks for $3,603 each, and one for $3,602, according to prosecutors.

Anderson deposited the five checks and then withdrew the same total, or $18,972, the district attorney’s office said. The judge also ordered Anderson to pay the victim restitution.

Read more:
Health Aide Used Knife To Extort $19K From 78-Year-Old Man