The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office has arrested and charged a caregiver, 22-year-old Corine Mukes, with stealing jewelry from the homes of her elderly patients.
According to a representative for the two senior residents, many expensive pieces of jewelry, valued at about $82,025, vanished from the home on July 4. The caregiver worked for United Home Health LLC, according to WMC.
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Since June, the elderly parents had received in-home care from Mukes. Ms. Cleaborn provided authorities with various images of the lost jewelry.
Detectives used Leads Online, a database that shows pawned items, to confirm that Mukes pawned the jewelry on June 9, 14, 21, and 30.
The police collected a TN purchase agreement from Cash America Pawn on Poplar Avenue and Overton Crossing after the victim recognized the jewelry as belonging to the home.
Mukes was charged with financial exploitation of an elderly and theft of property $60,000 to $250,000 after detectives saw surveillance footage of her selling the jewels.
According to the American Bankers Association, financial exploitation of the elderly is the fastest-growing type of elder abuse, defined as the illegal, unauthorized, or improper use of an older person’s finances, property, or assets. It’s a crime that deprives older people of their resources and, eventually, independence. Those who commit these crimes could be strangers, friends, relatives, neighbors, caregivers, medical professionals, or business associates.
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