Cops: ALF Owner Stole Residents' Credit Cards, Identities

When a woman noticed unusual charges on her mother’s credit card account, she kicked off her own investigation that would eventually put police hot on the trail of a St. Petersburg assisted living facility owner.

Maria Isabel Matos Infante, 43, was arrested shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday when detectives from the St. Petersburg Police Department’s Economic Crimes Unit served a search warranted on her Access Adult Family Care Home at 2895 38th Ave. N. Police say agents from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, the Department of Health, and Department of Children and Families were also on hand.

An investigation into Infante’s actions began in early June when the daughter of a former resident of the home noticed fraudulent charges on her mother’s credit card. The mother died May 31 at the St. Petersburg home “apparently from natural causes,” an email to media from the police department stated.

“The daughter noted over 20 charges made in mid-May which total exceeded $2,000 and which included restaurants, department stores, grocery stores and gas stations,” the email said. “ The daughter went to several locations to view the surveillance footage of the card being used and was surprised to see that Matos Infante,
the owner of the ALF, was the one using the credit card.”

The daughter took the information she found to police.

During the course of their investigation, St. Petersburg detectives identified at least 10 other potential victims of identity theft, credit card theft or both, the email said.

“At this point it’s not known if some of these other victims are patients or family of patients, but several do not appear to be affiliated with the facility at all,” the email added.

Detectives also discovered Infante did not have a license to operate her facility. That aspect of the case is being investigated by the state. The facility opened in 2013 and did have a proper license at one point, police noted. It has since expired.

While theft charges have been levied, the department noted that “no allegations of any physical or mental abuse (were) made against Matos Infante or employees at the facility.”

There were six patients in the facility at the time the warrant was served. Arrangements have been made for their care with relatives, police noted.

Infante now faces 10 criminal counts, including fraudulent use of a credit card, grand theft and operating an unlicensed assisted living facility. Additional charges are pending.

Anyone who has information on the case is asked to contact the police department at 727-893-7780. Anonymous tips may also be submitted by texting “SPPD” and the tip to 847-411.

Surveillance photo of Infante allegedly using a stolen card to make a purchase courtesy of the St. Petersburg Police Department