Caregiver convicted of forcing Pearl River man, 78, at knifepoint to sign checks
The jury, after a week-long trial, found Delores Anderson, 60, of the Bronx guilty on Thursday, May 8, of five felony counts of second-degree grand larceny, the Rockland District Attorney's Office said on Friday, May 9. Anderson is scheduled for sentencing by Judge Kevin Russo on Aug. 27.
A single count of second-degree grand larceny carries a maximum prison term of 15 years. Sentencing is at the discretion of the judge.
Anderson cared for a 78-year-old man living in a Pearl River senior assisted living complex from December 2022 through August 2023. She was a live-in home care worker.
She forced the man to sign five checks by threatening him with a kitchen knife, "instilling fear in him, that if he did not comply and author these checks, she would cause him a physical injury," the District Attorney's Office said in a news release.
On May 5, 2023, Anderson forced the man for the first time to sign two personal checks payable to her, the release states. The checks totaled $4,082 each.
On July 25, 2023, Anderson held the same kitchen knife to the victim's stomach and demanded that he write three more checks. Two of the checks amounted to $3,603 each, and the third totaled $3,602.
She later withdrew $18,972.00 from her account, the release said.
Orangetown police investigated and arrested Anderson in March 2024. Senior assistant district attorneys Allyson White and Brittany Richardson prosecuted.
District Attorney Thomas Walsh said Anderson preyed upon a vulnerable person.
'This defendant not only violated a position of trust in this theft but threatened this elderly victim with a knife in his own home," Walsh said. "Our senior citizens can be assured that the Rockland County District Attorney's Office is committed to protecting them from violence and abuse and will vigorously prosecute any offenders."
Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com Twitter: @lohudlegal
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This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Caregiver forced Pearl River NY man to sign checks at knifepoint
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