A shocking case of elder abuse has come to light in New Orleans, as 44-year-old Trina Robair pleaded guilty to stealing over $149,500 from a deceased elderly woman for whom she was a caretaker. According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Robair used her position to access the woman’s accounts and drained them of funds without permission.
The charging document filed in court states that Robair had access to the elderly woman’s accounts because she was incapacitated. Robair did not have permission to steal the money, and the Bill of Information further states that she stole $149,500. This brazen act of theft is a clear violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section § 2113(b), and Robair now faces serious consequences for her actions.
In a document filed in open court and signed by Robair, she admitted to four schemes she used to steal money from the elderly woman. Scheme one involved Robair simply forging the deceased woman’s signature on checks drawn from her account. Scheme two involved withdrawing money from the accounts of the deceased woman using ATM and electronic funds transfers. The third scheme involved Robair impersonating the deceased woman in a telephone conversation with Fidelity Investments and convincing Fidelity that she was the deceased woman, allowing her to steal $49,000 in this manner.
Perhaps the most egregious scheme involved Robair and co-defendant Michael Reed, age 62, of New Orleans, devising a false repair kickback scheme. In this scheme, Reed would purportedly repair the house of the elderly woman and submit invoices, but in reality, the repairs were never done, and Robair received a $20,000 kickback. Reed’s sentencing is scheduled for June 26, 2019, and it will be interesting to see how the court handles his role in this scandal.
The statutory penalty for Bank Larceny is ten (10) years imprisonment, $250,000 fine, three (3) years supervised release, restitution, and a $100 special assessment. Sentencing is set for August 7, 2019, and it remains to be seen how the court will choose to punish Robair for her crimes. The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney, Carter K. D. Guice, Jr.
This case highlights the importance of protecting our elderly citizens from exploitation and abuse. As a society, we have a responsibility to ensure that those who are most vulnerable among us are safeguarded from predators like Trina Robair. The guilty plea in this case is a step in the right direction, and it is hoped that it will serve as a deterrent to others who would seek to exploit the elderly for their own gain.
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Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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