A woman working in elderly care was convicted for stealing large sums of money from an elderly client. Despite this, she quickly got a new job, was celebrated by the municipality – and continued to commit crimes. Now she has been convicted again, this time to prison.
In the summer of 2018, an 84-year-old woman sounded the alarm after discovering her money was gone. She could not afford either doctor’s visits or special transportation services.
It turned out that someone had made repeated withdrawals from her bank card. Suspicions soon fell on a female coordinator at the nursing home where the woman lived.
The employee admitted that she had used the card for her own withdrawals – in total, it amounted to 68,000 kronor. She explained that she had financial problems and an ongoing wage garnishment that she had kept secret from her family.
She was fired from her job and in the spring of 2019 was convicted of 26 counts of fraud and one count of attempted fraud. The punishment was a suspended sentence.
Got a new job – and an award
After the conviction, the woman was unemployed and received unemployment benefits. At the same time, she applied for and wrongly received about 66,000 kronor in sickness benefits for an arm injury.
This also resulted in a conviction – this time for benefit fraud. The penalty was probation combined with community service.
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Despite her criminal record, she was soon employed in private elderly care in the same municipality.
Despite her criminal CV, she was also awarded a municipal prize for her work with the elderly. The motivation highlighted her commitment and how she had contributed to improving the residents’ quality of life.
Continued committing crimes
Behind the façade, however, the woman continued to commit crimes. A new investigation revealed that the woman had applied for and received student aid of approximately 281,000 kronor, at the same time as she had an annual income of about 400,000 kronor.
This led to yet another conviction for benefit fraud. The district court found that this was a case of repeated offenses and that previous penalties had not had the intended effect. Therefore, the woman is now sentenced to six months in prison.
Employer: “No place for her with us”
At the time of the latest conviction, the woman was working as a team leader at a private nursing home. The company does not want to discuss “individual cases,” such as what, if any, references were checked when she was hired.
READ ALSO: Defrauded of millions by home care staff – Court: Only has herself to blame
An HR case has now been initiated. However, according to reports, the woman remains employed for now after the latest conviction.
– I cannot comment on details, but convicted criminals have no place with us, emphasizes the HR manager in a comment to Expressen.
The municipality: May harm public trust
The municipality stresses the seriousness of crimes against the elderly. A spokesperson for the care and welfare administration tells Expressen that such actions risk undermining trust in the entire care system.
Regarding how the woman could be awarded a prize despite her background, the municipality does not want to go into detail, but states that the prize money was never paid out after new information emerged.
The woman herself and her defense attorney have not wanted to comment on the crimes or convictions.