Spring Hill caregiver stole $27,000 from man, 85, deputies say
A 41-year-old Spring Hill caregiver was charged with stealing more than $27,000 from an 85-year-old bedridden man in her care, deputies say.
Robyn Lee Hartman faces charges of exploitation of the elderly and grand theft after being arrested Friday at her home.
An investigator with the Florida Department of Children and Families alerted the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office in June that the victim, who is unable to recall events because his mental capacity is declining, was possibly being taken advantage of, deputies said.
Investigators learned that Hartman, who has been caring for the man for several years, was added to his checking account in 2012 to pay his bills, deputies said.
A review of time sheets and bank statements uncovered several discrepancies, including five checks that Hartman wrote to herself totaling $5,036 for work she never completed, deputies said.
Investigators found Hartman wrote six more checks to herself between 2012 and April of 2014 totaling $22,783.
Hartman was booked into the Hernando County Detention Center and released on $10,000 bond Saturday.
Hartman was a contract employee for Family Friends Home Care.
The company hired Hartman at the request of the 85-year-old victim when he switched care providers, said Rhoba Crandall, coowner of Family Friends Home Care.
Hartman had cared for the victim for several years through a different agency, Crandall said.
Family Friends Home Care ran a federal and local background check on Hartman and made sure she had the necessary qualifications before contracting for her services, Crandall said.
The company runs background checks on its caregivers every three months, she said.
“We pride ourselves on being very careful with our caregivers,” Crandall said. “If I won’t hire a caregiver to be in a home with my parents, I won’t hire them to care for someone else.”
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