Woman Pleads 'No Contest' To Forging Checks From Elderly San Carlos Woman

By Bay City News Service:

A 33-year-old woman working as a caregiver pleaded no contest recently to a felony charge for defrauding a 95-year-old San Carlos woman out of more than $35,000, San Mateo County prosecutors said.

Ofa Atau Fifita pleaded no contest on Dec. 31 to felony elder fiscal abuse in exchange for a maximum prison sentence of two years, according to the district attorney’s office.

Fifita worked for a home care assistance company and was the elderly woman’s weekly caregiver. Earlier this year, the victim noticed checks were missing from her checkbook and a review of her bank statement showed more than 30 checks had been forged by Fifita and cashed, prosecutors said.

The victim’s cousin called the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office in July and said that the victim pays the company directly and that Fifita shouldn’t have been receiving any checks from her, prosecutors said.

A sheriff’s deputy confronted Fifita, who admitted to stealing and forging the checks because of financial problems. The estimated loss to the victim was $35,300 over several months, prosecutors said.

San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Mark Forcum said during the hearing that if Fifita makes significant restitution to the victim before her sentencing date on March 3, then he will consider a sentence in county jail rather than state prison, prosecutors said.

Fifita’s attorney Edward Pomeroy was not immediately available to comment on the case.

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