Florida nursing assistant stole card, charged $25,000: cops

A Tarpon Springs certified nursing assistant rolled up $25,000 in fraudulent charges after stealing a 77-year-old’s debit card to pay for school photos, sports tickets and jail inmate care packages.

That’s according to a Tarpon Springs arrest report and the Florida Department of Health, the latter of which put an emergency restriction order (ERO) on the nursing assistant license of Mallory Gayton, 34.

Gayton cannot work as a certified nursing assistant in a situation in which she could obtain a patient’s financial information, cash, checks or debit/credit cards.

The ERO said this bit of alleged elder fraud occurred from November 2018 through January. Gayton worked at Tarpon Bayou Center, a rehabilitation center and nursing home. The legal guardian of 77-year-old patient identified in the ERO as “E.L.” noticed several online debit card transactions from E.L.’s bank account not usually associated with a senior citizen needing a legal guardian.

The ERO listed sports tickets among the funny transactions from November to January. The ERO and the arrest report listed children’s toys and groceries from Walmart; cellphone bills; auto insurance payments; kids’ school photos; cable bills; care packs of food and clothing for Pasco and Pinellas County Jail inmates.

It was a recorded telephone call to someone behind bars, the arrest report says, on which Gayton admitted she made all the fraudulent debit card buys and “agreed to turn herself in once she was able to establish bail monies.”

She posted $10,000 bond four hours after her June 21 arrest on a charge of exploitation of an elderly or disabled adult.

Since 1989, David J. Neal’s domain at the Miami Herald has expanded to include writing about Panthers (NHL and FIU), Dolphins, old school animation, food safety, fraud, naughty lawyers, bad doctors and all manner of breaking news. He drinks coladas whole. He does not work Indianapolis 500 Race Day.