Miami-Dade prosecutors: Caretaker, accomplice stole $216K from 97-year-old with dementia

Associate charged as well, officials say

MIAMI – Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced charges in an elderly exploitation case Friday afternoon.

Fernandez Rundle was joined by Miami police Chief Manny Morales and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava at a news conference Friday afternoon.

According to her office, a home health services aide, Natsky Nelson, 48, of Miami Gardens, and an associate, Jose Pierre Toussaint, 55, stole roughly $216,000 from Lorraine Laderman, who last lived in Sunny Isles Beach.

Toussaint is presently at large, Fernandez Rundle said.

Laderman, who died at 97 in February 2021, had dementia and required care. She hired Nelson back in October 2017, according to a warrant.

The fraud caught the eye of family members because Laderman was typically “frugal” and meticulous about cataloguing her transactions, according to authorities.

Nelson withdrew money from the victim’s bank account using her bank card, Fernandez Rundle said.

Money also got transferred to an account opened by Toussaint, Fernandez Rundle said.

Nelson was being held on a $125,000 bond.

Watch the full news conference:


About the Authors:

Chris Gothner joined the Local 10 News team in 2022 as a Digital Journalist.

Annaliese Garcia joined Local 10 News in January 2020. Born and raised in Miami, she graduated from the University of Miami, where she studied broadcast journalism. She began her career at Univision. Before arriving at Local 10, she was with NBC2 (WBBH-TV) covering Southwest Florida. She's glad to be back in Miami!