A Warren woman has been jailed after allegedly stealing money from a senior citizen for whom the woman was providing care.

Lacy G. Abraham, 39, of Warren was charged May 21 by Warren city police officers with second-degree felony forgery and misdemeanor charges of financial exploitation of an older adult or care dependent person, theft by deception – false impression and theft by unlawful taking – movable property. Abraham appeared in court for a preliminary arraignment on Tuesday, during which Magisterial District Judge Raymond Zydonik set bail at $25,000.

The investigation began in October 2024 after Warren officials received a notice from Older Adult Protective Services, Area Agency on Aging, in Erie asking for an investigation into potential elder abuse and exploitation of a Warren woman. The investigation from OAPS, according to the Affidavit of Probable Cause, showed Abraham was employed as the senior citizen’s in-home caregiver from October 2023 through May 2024.

According to the Affidavit of Probable Cause, the forgery charge stems from five personal checks totaling $750 Abraham allegedly made out from the senior citizen to Abraham without the senior citizen’s consent because she was incapacitated during a portion of the time when the checks were written. Among the checks, according to police, was a $300 check that was to purchase a new washing machine for the senior citizen’s home, with Abraham instead allegedly keeping the money.

Police also allege Abraham kept a beneficiary check in December totaling almost $1,000. The financial exploitation charge, according to the affidavit, notes that the unauthorized expenses damaged the senior citizen’s financial stability – including causing the bank to close the woman’s checking account.

“During an interview with Abraham, she admitted to cashing a personal check for the purposes of purchasing a washer for (the senior),” the affidavit states. “Abraham then kept the funds, stating she ‘needed the money.’ In the same interview, Abraham also admitted to cashing (the senior’s) Beneficiary Check of $979.95 on Dec. 16, 2024. The check was taken from (the senior’s) apartment prior to (the senior) being sent to Corry Manor at the end of June 2024.”

According to the state Department of Aging, forged and stolen checks and misuse of income or assets are among dozens of types of financial exploitation involving senior citizens, including property theft, investment fraud, contractor scams, grandparent/grandchild imposter emergency scams, medical scams, fraudulent IRS calls, fraudulent Medicare calls, computer and other tech support scams, phony solicitation from charities, lotteries and phony contests and fraudulent use of Power of Attorney privileges. State officials encourage every older adult or anyone who interacts with older adults to try to prevent, detect and report financial exploitation from caregivers and healthcare workers to merchants, financial institutions and law enforcement.

Older adults are advised to accept help with finances only from a trusted source, to never provide personal information, including your Social Security number, account numbers or other financial information to anyone over the phone unless the senior initiated the call, to secure a checkbook and other sensitive documents in a locked location, not to sign any document they do not understand and order a copy of their credit report. Seniors are entitled to a free copy of their credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus once every 12 months. To order a free annual reports, go to AnnualCreditReport.com or call toll- free 1-877-322-8228.