Home Aide Sentenced To Prison For Stealing Over $170K From Elderly Couple: DA

A Central Islip woman was sentenced to prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty to stealing over $170,000 from an elderly couple she worked for, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

Over the course of nine months in 2016, Chaniesa Simmons, 42, forged checks payable to herself and cashed them while working as a home health aide for the couple, the DA said.

She was hired to assist the 92-year-old husband and his 88-year-old wife who suffers from dementia and needed around-the-clock care in 2012., Brown said.

In December 2016, Merrill Lynch notified the husband’s son, who has power of attorney over his father’s financial affairs, of numerous checks that had been written from his father’s cash management account that appeared to be forged, the DA said.

The checks were all payable to Simmons and had been negotiated through her checking account.

A review of the father’s financial accounts for 2016 showed forged checks totaling more than $170,000 from two separate bank accounts and payable to Simmons, according to Brown.

On Aug. 1 she pleaded guilty to third degree grand larceny and on Wednesday was sentenced by Queens Supreme Court Justice Charles Lopresto to up to 5 years in prison, the DA said.

Simmons also signed a confession to repay the $177,722.88 she stole.

“The victims in this case placed their trust in this defendant and she betrayed them by enriching herself with their life savings,” Brown said.