WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The conviction this week of a Luzerne County man on charges he scammed a 95-year-old woman out of her home has brought the issue of dependent elder care to the forefront.
35-year-old Jeremy Cieniawa was found guilty of taking advantage of a care-dependent elderly person.
Prosecutors say, and the jury agreed, that he gained the victim's trust and used that to benefit himself financially.
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Tonight, the I-Team's Andy Mehalshick talks to a former prosecutor, an expert on dependent care law, about precautions families can take to protect their loved ones.
You can learn more about protecting your loved ones by visiting the Pennsylvania Department of Aging website.
The conviction this week of a caretaker on charges he scammed a 95-year-old woman out of her lifelong home raised questions about what can be done to protect elderly care dependent residents from becoming targets or victims of scams.
28/22 News I-Team Reporter Andy Mehalshick talks to an expert who had information all families can use to protect their loved ones.
"Yes thank god thank god! Yeah after all this time I'm glad it's over. That's the main thing," stated the victim of the scam.
For the first time in three years, this 95-year-old Hazleton woman can have peace of mind.
This after a Luzerne County jury convicted 35-year-old Jeremy Cieniawa of selling her home in 2023 without her knowledge or understanding about what was taking place.
He was her primary caretaker.
"Overwhelmed I can cry! It's been along two years but justice prevailed. We can finally move on and we know he can't do this to somebody else," exclaimed Allison Tomczyk, great niece of the victim.
"I think vetting is one thing but constant vigilance," said Attorney Greg Fellerman, Fellerman and Ciarimboli Law.
Attorney Greg Fellerman is a former prosecutor and an expert in elderly care dependent law. He says families must be cautious.
"There are people who are just not honest. They take advantage of the most vulnerable people in our society, these elderly people who do trust the use of technology. There are apps that can protect your credit. You can freeze your credit on different apps, " explained Fellerman.
He says families often times have a false sense of security with a caretaker and take it granted that everything is ok.
"I mean there are services where you can actually get background checks done. You can ask them to consent to a background check. Hey, if you have nothing to hide let us do check on you, do a reference check," voiced Fellerman.
Fellerman says there's no such thing as families being too aggressive when checking out and vetting caretakers.
