Latonja Dashawn Carrera, Financial Exploitation of an Elderly Person, Washington District of Columbia 2020

Latonja Dashawn Carrera, a 46-year-old former Administrator of a Mental Health Community Residential Facility in Washington DC, has been arrested and charged with felony Financial Exploitation of an Elderly Person.

The arrest was made on December 8, 2020, and Carrera is accused of using the account of a 73-year-old Veteran to pay her own personal bills, totaling $1,524.36, which was the Veteran’s sole source of income from the Social Security Administration and Veterans Affairs.

Carrera used the account in January 2019 to pay her personal bills, leaving the Veteran with limited financial resources. This is an egregious case of financial exploitation of an elderly person, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to holding perpetrators accountable.

Kim Renee West, a 56-year-old former aide for disabled residents, pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor Financial Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult on the same day as Carrera’s arrest. West took the debit card of a 61-year-old man with profound intellectual disability and used it to make approximately $235.00 worth of purchases for her own benefit.

The prosecution of these cases is part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s efforts to combat crimes against seniors and vulnerable adults. In 2018, the office launched initiatives to address the abuse and exploitation of older adults, and this prosecution is indicative of the continued collaboration between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General to prosecute cases of this kind.

Acting U.S. Attorney Michael R. Sherwin, Attorney General Karl Racine, and Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas commended the work of those who investigated the cases from the District of Columbia’s Office of the Attorney General and Office of the Inspector General. Special Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer C. Mika, on detail from the Office of the Attorney General, investigated and prosecuted both cases for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Washington DC with support from Paralegal Specialist Chad D. Byron.

The charges against Carrera and West are as follows: Latonja Dashawn Carrera – felony Financial Exploitation of an Elderly Person in violation of D.C. Code § 22-933.01. Kim Renee West – misdemeanor Financial Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult in violation of the same code provision. The case against Carrera is ongoing, and West has agreed to complete community service and pay restitution to the victim as part of a Deferred Sentencing Agreement.

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