San Carlos Caretaker Gets 2 Years in Prison for Stealing From Elderly Woman

REDWOOD CITY, CA- A caretaker for a 95-year-old San Carlos woman was sentenced this week to two years in prison for stealing more than $35,000 from her client last year, prosecutors said.

Ofa Atau Fifita, 33, could have received a reduced sentence if she had paid significant restitution to the victim, but when she returned to court for sentencing Thursday morning she had made no restitution, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.

Because of that, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Mark Forcum sentenced her to the maximum two years in prison agreed upon when she entered her no contest plea in December, Wagstaffe said. She has only eight days credit for time served.

Fifita pleaded no contest to felony elder fiscal abuse for stealing checks from the woman in her care between Feb. 6, 2015, and July 14 while she was an employee of a home care assistance company, prosecutors said.

The victim noticed checks were missing from her checkbook and reviewed her bank statement, noticing that Fifita had forged and cashed more than 30 of her checks, prosecutors said.

The woman called her husband, who called the sheriff's office. When confronted by a deputy, Fifita admitted the thefts and said she took the money because she had financial problems. Prosecutors said she stole a total of $35,300, the amount she still owes to the victim in restitution.

– By Bay City News Service. Image via Shutterstock.