MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A woman who works as a caretaker and her partner have been arrested and charged with multiple crimes after they defrauded a 69-year-old woman who is blind and has dementia out of about $130,000, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office confirmed on Friday.
Evelyn Dinora Lopez De Ramirez De Hernandez, 45, and Yuri Hernandez, 45, are both being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center after being booked Thursday afternoon.
According to prosecutors, the victim’s relatives, who live in North Carolina, notified the Miami-Dade Police Department after the victim’s investment advisor called them with some concerns.
The advisor told the family that the victim had called him, seeking to withdraw $40,000 from her investment account.
The advisor said he heard a woman’s voice in the background instructing the victim on what to say and how to answer his questions.
The man, who said he hadn’t spoken to the victim in two years, was concerned and told the victim he would need her to personally come to his office to discuss the matter.
Prosecutors said the victim showed up the next day with her caretaker and the investment advisor told the caretaker that she needed to wait outside his office as the victim’s finances were confidential.
“Upon her exit, the advisor expressed his concerns to the victim regarding the odd behavior during their recent telephone conversation. The victim said that everything was fine and that she did not need to withdraw any funds,” a news release from the state attorney’s office stated.
But the advisor notified the victim’s family after he said he received a visit from the caretaker three days later without the victim present.
The advisor said Lopez De Ramirez De Hernandez had a Power of Attorney document with her and tried to withdraw funds from the victim’s account.
The advisor said he questioned the validity of the document and told the caretaker that the victim would have to come back to his office to withdraw the money.
Prosecutors said after being alerted by the advisor, one of the victim’s relatives came down to Miami to personally check out the situation.
“With local Miami friends, the relative gained access to the victim’s home and found her awake but disoriented and covered in urine and feces,” the news release stated. “Only water in multiple jugs and a bottle of unknown fluid accessible via a straw were found in the house.
“After requesting medical transportation to take the victim to a hospital, a woman arrived at the home indicating that she had been hired by Ms. Ramirez de Hernandez to go by the home once a day, provide the victim with a sandwich, clean the victim and the home while also administering all the victim’s medications at one time, rather than in the manner as prescribed.”
Prosecutors said detectives discovered that Lopez De Ramirez De Hernandez had been taking money from the victim’s accounts and transferring them into accounts controlled by Hernandez.
“This poor woman needed care and assistance, which is why she hired De Ramirez De Hernandez,” said State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. “But what she allegedly received was an apathetic concern about her daily physical needs and a greedy hand rummaging through the finances intended to provide for her care. These issues are what make crimes against our disabled and our elder residents so troubling. I applaud the Miami-Dade Police Department for their investigative work on this case so that my prosecutors could bring these alleged crimes before our criminal courts. We are looking at a substantially serious charges, a number of serious charges against both of them, because shame on them.”
Below is a breakdown of the charges both suspects face:
Evelyn Dinora Lopez De Ramirez De Hernandez is charged with:
• 1 Count - Exploitation of Elderly/Disabled Over $100,000 - 1st Degree Felony
• 1 Count - Theft from Elderly Over $50,000 - 1st Degree Felony
• 1 Count - Organized Fraud Over $50,000 - 1st Degree Felony
Yuri Hernandez is charged with:
• 1 Count - Theft from Elderly Over $50,000 - 1st Degree Felony
• 1 Count - Organized Fraud Over $50,000 - 1st Degree Felony
• 1 Count - Conspiracy to Commit Organized Fraud Over $50,000 - 2nd Degree Felony
“It is shameful when people defraud members of our community; however, it’s appalling to see criminals exploit our vulnerable elderly community. Our Economic Crimes Unit will continue to investigate thoroughly any criminal activity against our elderly and work closely with the State Attorney’s Office to prosecute them to the furthest extent of the law,” said Miami-Dade Police Director George A. Perez. “Our elderly community has given so much to create the foundation of today’s society, and it is our responsibility to protect them.”