Caretaker, 71, gets prison time for using ATMs to steal from 91-year-old hospice patient

A caretaker who pleaded guilty to taking thousands of dollars from a 91-year-old, bed-ridden Hardin County woman will spend time in federal prison.

Marcia Nickette Remedies, 71, of Huffman, Texas, in northeastern Harris County, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas Damien M. Diggs said Tuesday in a news release from Beaumont.

Remedies was sentenced to eight months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Michael J. Truncale on Tuesday. She also was ordered to pay $24,887.75 in restitution.

Information presented in court stated that in May 2023, the Hardin County Sheriff's Office contacted the FBI for help investigating Remedies, who was a caretaker to the elderly victim.

The victim told authorities that Remedies had unlawfully withdrawn money from her account using her debit card. The 91-year-old was on hospice for health-related issues and said she hired Remedies to help her at home. She said she found Remedies through a Facebook ad and hired her around October 2022.

Remedies was authorized to use the victim's debit card for one-time purchases, such as personal need items and groceries, authorities said.

However, from November 2022 through April 2023, many unauthorized ATM withdrawals were made at locations in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.

Investigators found that Remedies had made ATM withdrawals at Delta Downs Racetrack Casino Hotel in Vinton, Louisiana, which is near the Texas border, and many other unauthorized withdrawals at local stores that were not for the victim.

Officials said Remedies is seen on surveillance video conducting several unauthorized transactions. Authorities said she made $24,887.75 in unauthorized withdrawals from the victim's account.

Officials offer help protecting older people from theft.

Call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311) to report if you or someone you know 60 years old or older have been a victim of financial fraud.

This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by professionals who offer personalized support by assessing victims' needs and identifying the next steps, according to the news release.

Case managers will then identify appropriate reporting agencies and give information to callers to help them report the crime, as well as connect callers with appropriate agencies and offer resources and referrals on a case-by-case basis. The hotline is staffed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time from Monday through Friday. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.

The Hardin County Sheriff's Office and the FBI investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Reynaldo P. Morin prosecuted.