Fall River woman arraigned on charges she stole $27,000 from elderly couple

A Fall River woman working as a home healthcare aide has been arraigned on charges she allegedly stole $27,000 from her clients according to Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz.

Vanessa L. Finglas, 40, of Fall River was indicted by a Plymouth County Grand Jury on two counts each of Larceny over $250 from a person over 60, Forgery of a Check and Uttering a False Check. She pleaded not guilty today in Brockton Superior Court.

On February 16, 2017, a relative of Finglas’ alleged victims reported to Mattapoisett Police the discovery of checks belonging to his elderly parents that had appeared to be fraudulently written. Finglas worked as a home health care aide and was hired to care twice a week for an elderly female.

The reporting relative had been monitoring bank records and had found several suspicious checks had been written out to Finglas in various amounts over ten months. The suspect checks had been signed by the elderly client who was no longer able to write their signature. The relative noted that the signatures did not match his family member’s.

The investigation alleges that from May to November of 2016, Finglas forged 29 checks ranging from $300 to $800 to herself. From August 2016 to February 2017, Finglas forged 13 checks ranging from $500 to $850 to herself. In total, Finglas allegedly stole$27,100 from the couple.

She is next scheduled to appear in court June 11, 2018.