Plymouth County man accused of leaving elderly woman ill and living with dead dog while stealing her money

BROCKTON – A man has been arraigned on charges that he left an elderly woman and her dog to live in squalid conditions for months, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced.

At his arraignment Friday in Brockton Superior Court, 51-year-old Seth Aguiar pleaded not guilty to one count each of Elder Abuse, Larceny from an Elderly Person, Misuse of a Credit Card, Use of a Motor Vehicle Without Authority, Operating a Motor Vehicle While Unlicensed, and Animal Cruelty. Aguiar was additionally arraigned on two counts of Forgery. The Commonwealth requested $25,000 cash bail with conditions of release. Judge William White set cash bail at $11,000, and adopted the Commonwealth’s conditions, that should Aguiar make bail, he wear a GPS monitoring bracelet, stay away and have no contact with the victim, and submit to random drug screening.

Last Friday, the Plymouth County grand jury returned indictments alleging that Aguiar abused, neglected, and financially exploited a female senior citizen residing in Rochester. The investigation alleges that Aguiar submitted the victim to horrendous living conditions, and emotionally and financially abused the victim.

On February 28, a family member attempted to perform a well-being check at the victim’s Rochester home, before contacting Rochester Police. Upon arrival, officers located the female victim who was severely malnourished, suffering from hypothermia and living in squalor. The victim was transported to Tobey Hospital where she remained for two weeks for medical treatment. Rochester Police contacted the Massachusetts Department of Disabled Persons Protection Commission to begin the investigation.

The investigation found that Aguiar, who was renting a property across the street and was acting as a caretaker for the elderly victim and her home, left her victim trapped inside without heat and running water. While neglecting to care for the victim, including failure to fill her medical prescriptions, Aguiar stole her debit card and used it to purchase sneakers, clothing, fast food, and various services for his automobile. Aguiar continued to use the victim’s debit card while she received medical treatment in the intensive care unit at Tobey Hospital. It is estimated that Aguiar stole approximately $12,000 from the female victim.

Aguiar is charged with one count of animal cruelty because the victim’s Yorkshire terrier was found to have been dead for weeks in the home without food or water.

Aguiar is next scheduled to appear in court on August 10.

Assistant District Attorney Alexander Zane is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by Rochester Police and Rochester Police.