Featured News

Ripping off the elderly

Yet another senior citizen is the victim when an assisted living worker is arrested for reportedly stealing $13,847.65.

When Mindy S. Porey, age 26, of 516 County Route 28 in Palmyra vacationed in Boston, Massachusetts, she stayed at the luxurious Omni Park Hotel for several days. Not only did Mindy go top shelf in accommodations, but she even went as far as renting a second room for some friends for $300+ per night, per room.

Then, there were the food purchases at WalMart in Macedon. Mindy was observed on camera charging $123 in groceries, but not before she withdrew $300 from the store's ATM machine. Other withdrawals and purchases pushed the total Mindy used to $13,847.65. Mindy was on a purchasing spree that continued for over a month.

The only problem for this unemployed, married former Parkwood Heights kitchen worker with the expensive buying habits was that Mindy was using the stolen bank card and pin number of a 77 year-old resident of the Macedon assisted living facility.

Records show that on October 8th of 2007, the elderly woman was rushed to the hospital and eventually underwent heart by-pass surgery. The woman claims that the bank card and pin number were taken from her purse from her apartment on that day. In statements to police, Mindy claims the woman freely handed her the card when she visited the woman at the hospital, to cover Mindy's expenses while the woman recuperated.

In any case, when the woman returned home in November and discovered the loss, she notified the State Police. The month long spending spree came to a halt.

In the following months, State Police investigator John Stubbe methodically put together a case, securing bank records, store and bank video surveillance footage and conducting interviews. Such a case, according to the Investigator, takes mounds of paperwork for a successful arrest and subsequent prosecution.

On Tuesday the legal shoe fell on Mindy. She was charged with Identity Theft 1st degree (D felony), Forgery 2nd degree (D felony) and Unlawful Possession of Personal Identification 3rd degree (A misdemeanor). She was arraigned in the Town of Palmyra Court in front of Town Justice Terry Rodman, released on her own recognizance and scheduled to return to the Town of Palmyra Court on 03/11/08.

Porey had been terminated from Parkwood Heights on November 2nd. According to police, she has no prior record.

Locally, there have been numerous cases of health workers, friends and family taking advantage of the elderly by stealing ATM, credit cards and bank checks. Martin Williams from the Wayne County Aging and Youth Department stated that the cases reported are just the tip of the iceberg.

Lifespan is a non-profit organization that offers adults and their caregivers a wide-array of free and fee based non-medical services to help take on the joys and challenges of aging. Serving the 10 county area out of Rochester , including Wayne County , Lifespan employs approximately 90 full and part-time professionals, and assists approximately 20,000 older adults and caregivers a year.

According to a Lifespan spokesperson, “99.9% of the time an older person who has been the victim of theft won't press charges, especially if the theft involved a family member, friend, or neighbor.” Embarrassment is not the only reason an elderly person may be reluctant to report a theft by a family member.

In a case settled in Wayne County last week, a grandson who stole and cashed an 88 year-old grandmother's checks, was allowed to plea down the felony charges to a misdemeanor. He also had to pay back the money stolen. The grandmother told authorities the grandson did steal and cash the checks without her permission, but family members told her they would have nothing to do with the elderly woman if the boy, a convicted prior felon, went to jail.

Lifespan often works outside the legal system to resolve some of these problems through their ‘Stop Elder Abuse and Mistreatment' program that involves a 16 week attitude and behavioral changing solution.

A person wishing to report a case of elder mistreatment can call 1-800-454-5030. Wayne County residents can also call the Wayne County Social Services at (315) 946-4881, or the Wayne County Department of Aging & Youth at (315) 946-5624.