Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect that McRae was not an employee of The Meadows Apartments.
DALLAS TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY — A resident of the Meadows Apartments in Dallas Township who suffers from dementia had over $1,500 stolen from her by a caretaker from an outside home-health agency, according to police.
On July 10, investigators say an advocate for the 76-year-old woman alerted them that someone made transactions of $301.00 to a PayPal account that was not hers. There were also additional transactions made from Venmo, Zelle, Lyft, and JP Morgan that totaled $1,634, which the resident could not make due to her physical and mental state, according to the criminal complaint.
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During the investigation, authorities say they discovered Mikayla McRae, 18, of Nanticoke, who was a caretaker of the victim through America's Home Health Agency, had benefitted from these transactions. Search warrants uncovered a PayPal and Venmo account linked McRae to the fraudulent transfers, according to court documents.
McRae was charged with financial exploitation of an older adult or care-dependent person, forgery, and identity theft.
America's Home Health Agency provides in-home care for individuals with health and mobility issues and are not employees of the Meadows Apartments.
