CNA at California Nursing Home Arrested for Using Residents’ Credit Cards
A certified nursing assistant (CNA) working in a California nursing home has been arrested and faces numerous charges, including three felony counts for identity theft and fraud involving the CNA’s unauthorized use of credit cards. The cards belonged to two residents of the facility and one guest. The CNA used the credit cards to make purchases in several stores totaling $950.
The CNA was caught on surveillance video in one store wearing maroon-colored scrubs and a surgical mask while making the transactions. Her strange appearance aroused suspicion in one of the cashiers who followed the CNA to her car, obtained the vehicle’s license plate number, and notified the Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office arrested the CNA when she arrived for work at the nursing home.
Compliance Perspective
Failure by a facility to protect the residents from misappropriation and exploitation by staff members who misuse their personal property, i.e., credit cards, for personal gain, may be considered a violation of residents’ rights and provision of substandard quality of care, in violation of state and federal regulations.
Discussion Points:
- Review policies and procedures regarding protocols for protecting residents’ personal property and the facility’s response to misappropriation by staff.
- Train staff on abuse, neglect, and exploitation and the facility’s policies and procedures regarding staff members’ misappropriation of residents’ personal property and possessions.
- Periodically audit by interviewing residents to determine if they are using locked drawers to safe-guard their valuables.
