A shocking case of betrayal has unfolded in St. Joseph, Missouri, where a home health care aide has pleaded guilty to stealing over $207,000 from one of her elderly clients.
Ashley N. Garr, 33, worked as a home health aide for the victim in St. Joseph for approximately one year beginning in 2014. However, in an alarming display of deceit, Garr stole bank account information from her client during a visit in October 2016.
According to court documents, Garr stopped at the victim’s residence to introduce her children and used the opportunity to find the victim’s checkbook and purse in a home office. She then proceeded to write three $700 checks to herself on the victim’s bank account on Oct. 27, 2016.
Numerous transfers from the bank account to pay Garr’s personal expenses followed, totaling $187,152 in theft for 2016. Garr also admitted to filing fraudulent tax returns for 2014 and 2015, inflating her income and tax withholdings to generate a larger refund than she was entitled to receive.
The victim’s bookkeeper discovered the fraud after noticing suspicious charges on the bank statement from Nodaway Valley Bank. The bookkeeper contacted the bank to report the incident, and a review of the account revealed the extent of Garr’s deceit.
Garr pleaded guilty to one count of filing a false tax return and one count of aggravated identity theft. Under the terms of her plea agreement, she must pay $207,638 in restitution to the victim and $151,589 in restitution to the IRS.
Garr is facing a maximum sentence of up to three years in federal prison without parole for filing a false tax return and a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years for aggravated identity theft. The sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker, with the FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation leading the investigation.
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Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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