CORTLAND, N.Y. – Two women face several felony charges after being accused of stealing the credit card of a nursing home resident in 2014 and making thousands of dollars in purchases.
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Hope Pearson and Schenekqua Carter face charges of criminal possession of stolen property, grand larceny and falsifying business records, according to a felony complaint filed in October by the New York State Attorney General's Office.
In July of 2014, when Pearson was employed as a certified nurse aide at Crown Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Cortland, she and Carter stole a credit card from a nursing home resident, according to Patrick Lynch, senior special investigator with the state attorney general's office.
Hope Pearson (New York State Attorney General's Office)
Pearson contacted NBT Bank and created a PIN number for the credit card, utilizing the information from the resident's account. For the next three weeks, the pair made several attempts–some unsuccessful–to use the card at Turning Stone Casino, various NBT Bank locations and several retail outlets in central New York, Lynch said.
The pair were able to illegally obtain more than $5,000 in merchandise and cash. The value of the failed attempts exceeded $2,500, court documents show.
Investigators were able to identify Pearson and Carter through bank surveillance photographs, which showed them using the stolen credit card at various NBT Bank ATM machines, Lynch said.
Pearson was arraigned in Cortland City Court on Wednesday on the following charges:
– fourth degree criminal possession of stolen property, a class E felony
– third degree grand larceny, a class D felony
– first degree falsifying business records, a class E felony
A warrant is out for Carter's arrest, an official with the state attorney general's office confirmed Monday.
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