FLORIDA — A Florida live-in caregiver has been charged with stealing thousands of dollars from an 88-year-old Hillsborough County resident, allegedly while the victim was hospitalized, Attorney General Ashley Moody and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) have announced.
The caregiver, Cynthia Sirmans, used the victim’s credit card while the senior spent time in the hospital due to a life-threatening illness, Moody and the HCSO allege in the joint statement.
“The defendant, in this case, was trusted to take care of a Florida senior, but while the victim was in the hospital with a life-threatening illness, she used the opportunity to rack up tens of thousands of dollars in fraudulent credit-card charges in the victim’s name,” said Moody.
“Working with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, we uncovered the scheme, and now the so-called caregiver will have to face my Statewide Prosecutors and answer for her crimes.”
During a four-month period, Sirmans reportedly charged more than $47,000 to the victim’s card. The transactions ranged from gift-card purchases to expensive, radio-controlled cars, according to the statement.
“It’s truly despicable when a vulnerable person in our community entrusts their life and finances to another and then is taken advantage of so cruelly,” said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister.
“It is the work of some of the worst in society. Our detectives are working diligently to seek out these criminals and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”
According to the investigation, Sirmans made more than 100 charges to the 88-year-old victim’s credit card during the four months from January to April. Most of the transactions reportedly went to purchase gift cards, and all transactions occurred in the Tampa Bay area.
Sirmans allegedly spent nearly $6,000 on five radio-controlled cars. During an interview, the defendant admitted to making the transactions on the victim’s card and using the victim’s bank account to pay off charges to hide the transactions, the statement said.
Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution charged Sirmans with exploitation of an elderly person or disabled adult and criminal use of personal identification information, both second-degree felonies.
Senior Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Whitney Mackay will prosecute the case.
