Police say Wilkinsburg care worker stole $64,000 from woman with dementia
An in-home care worker is accused of stealing $64,000 from an elderly woman with severe dementia by making fraudulent check deposits, according to Allegheny County Police.
Brittany Miller, 37, of Wilkinsburg was a caretaker for a 70-year-old woman whose condition had rendered her nonverbal and dependent on around-the-clock care, according to a criminal complaint.
County police said she abused her position to steal checks from the woman’s Pitcairn home, alter them and often deposit them using her PNC Mobile Banking app before immediately withdrawing the funds to payment services, like PayPal.
KeyBank flagged the fraud to one of the people entrusted with the woman’s power of attorney on June 14, describing obvious signs of tampering, the complaint states.
A review of her finances revealed 59 authorized checks between last September and June.
Miller is charged with felony counts of identity theft, theft by unlawful taking, financial exploitation of an older adult, receiving stolen property and forgery.
A coworker of Miller’s assisted with the investigation, providing text messages where she admitted to the fraudulent activities, police said.
Miller is free on nonmonetary bail. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 25.
She did not have an attorney listed in court documents.
Jack Troy is a TribLive reporter covering business and health care. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in January 2024 after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh. He can be reached at
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