Court-Appointed Caregiver Accused Of Stealing More Than $100,000 From At Least 3 Families, Officials Say
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A court-appointed guardian is charged with stealing from the elderly people she was supposed to be protecting. Police say the caregiver stole from at least three families, making off with more than $100,000. The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office is concerned there could be other victims.
"She stole, from what we have found, at least almost $70,000," Heidi Austin said.
Austin says that after her aunt fell, they tried to get in contact with the court-appointed caregiver, 58-year-old Gloria Byars.
"Finally, I texted her and she replied back saying that she was in Spain. At that point, that was a red flag for me, that she had gained access to their bank accounts and now she's in Spain," Austin said.
And after a quick Google search, Austin's concerns were validated.
"First article that came up was a Portsmouth, Virginia person that was arrested for fraud," Austin said.
After finding that article, a quick background check showed that it was in fact the same Byars who was now responsible for not only Austin's aunt and uncle's care, but their bank accounts, too.
"I was very surprised that a guardian could be appointed without a background check," Austin said.
Thanks to Austin's investigative work, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office is now prosecuting Byars.
"These are people who cannot handle their own accounts, their own money," Assistant Supervisor of Crimes Unit Kimberly Esack said. "She was appointed to be the guardian. Instead of guarding, she used their estates and took what she could from it and has never accounted for where all that money went."
Man Arrested In Chain-Reaction Hit-And-Run That Killed 2, Injured 5 Others In Bustleton, Police Say
The alleged thefts all happened within the last two years. The DA's office says if you notice any red flags, don't be afraid to speak up.
"Go back to the court and say, 'They're not telling me anything about my family member. They're supposed to be guarding over them yet we don't know what's happening,'" Esack said.
Byars is also accused of stealing valuables out of her clients' homes. Byars was responsible for 100 estates. Detectives are looking into if anything was stolen from those homes.