A home health aide worker is in the Middlesex County jail, charged with stealing from one of her patients in Monroe.
A home health aide was charged with stealing $93,000 from one of her patients in Monroe Township. MONROE TOWNSHIP -- A home health aide worker was charged Friday with stealing $93,000 from one of her patients, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey and Monroe Township Police Chief Michael Lloyd.
Carey said Debra Allen, 54, of Millstone was charged with theft by deception, forgery, uttering forged checks, theft by unlawful taking and use of the victim's credit card.
The prosecutor said an investigation by the prosecutor's office and the Monroe Township Police Department determined Allen took the victim's checkbook to write checks to herself and took a credit card to make purchases that included clothing and to cover the cost of cosmetic surgery. The thefts occurred between December 2015 and last month.
Carey said the 81-year-old Monroe Township resident called police after bank officials contacted him.
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"The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office has recently assembled a group of its existing detectives to serve on an Elder Abuse and Exploitation Team," Carey said. "This specialized team works closely with local police agencies to combat elder abuse and fraud. This arrest is a result of that cooperative effort."
He commended county Detective Linda Infusino, a member of the team, and Monroe police Detective Joseph Silvestri, who worked on the investigation.
Allen was in the Middlesex County jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.
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