Caseworker Charged with Stealing $300K from Elderly Client
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A Danbury, CT woman was indicted last week on charges of grand larceny and identity theft for stealing more than $300,000 from a 95-year-old woman with dementia while she was under the caseworker’s care.
According to New York Attorney General Letitia James, from March 2017 through April 2022, Chantel Chenault, 46, while employed as a caseworker with Westchester County Adult Protective Services, transferred more than $500,000 from the elderly woman’s retirement accounts to the woman’s checking account and would bring the woman to the bank to make withdrawals multiple times per month.
Chenault also allegedly used the woman’s ATM card at casinos with permission.
“There is nothing more insidious than exploiting the most vulnerable among us, especially when families put their trust in a caseworker they believe will treat their loved one with the respect and dignity they deserve,” said Suzanne Miles-Gustave, Esq., Acting Commissioner, New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). “OCFS has zero tolerance for this type of abuse and referred this case directly to Attorney General James’ office for investigation. I commend the subsequent caseworker who reported the alleged criminal activity to the appropriate authorities immediately.”
Chenault became the elderly woman’s caseworker in 2017. As the woman’s physical and mental health declined, Chenault was responsible for arranging home health aides from a third-party provider to provide care. Chenault went on medical leave in March 2022, and the new caseworker assigned to the elderly woman noticed there had been a substantial drop in her assets in just a matter of months.
Further investigation revealed that the woman’s bank accounts and retirement accounts were entirely depleted and as a result, she could no longer afford home health care. A forensic audit of her bank accounts identified a pattern of suspicious withdrawals and transfers, and the use of her ATM card at times when she was homebound. In total, Chenault is alleged to have stolen more than $300,000 from the woman over a five-year period.
A Westchester County Grand Jury indicted Chenault on charges of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, Identity Theft in the First Degree, and Official Misconduct.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
