A 33-year-old Hilo woman accused of stealing more than $10,000 from a 92-year-old man for whom she was a caregiver is free on supervised release.
Over the objection of Prosecutor Tony Gondolfo Dechario, Hilo District Judge Jeffrey Hawk on Tuesday granted a motion by Deputy Public Defender Paul Billinson to free Natrea Santiago on cashless bail status and ordered her to return May 5 for a preliminary hearing.
Santiago had been held on $70,000 bail after being arrested Monday. She is charged with first-degree theft, first-degree identity theft, fraudulent use of a credit card, and unauthorized possession of confidential personal information.
According to police, Santiago had been hired through a business to provide caregiver services for the elderly victim, and the investigation began in December after a family member discovered numerous unauthorized online charges on the man鈥檚 credit card account. Santiago had access to the victim鈥檚 credit card and used it without authorization, police said.
The total amount of unauthorized charges exceeded $10,000, and the business that assigned Santiago cooperated with investigators, police said.
Under 91直播 law, first-degree theft includes theft of property from a person 60 years of age or older when the offender knows or reasonably should know the victim鈥檚 age. Offenses involving elderly victims are treated with increased seriousness due to their vulnerability.
鈥淥ftentimes, our elderly are taken advantage of by people they trust,鈥� said Capt. Rio Amon-Wilkins of the 91直播 Police Department. 鈥淲e take these cases very seriously. Our kupuna are vulnerable, and we are committed to thoroughly investigating these types of financial crimes.鈥�
First-degree identify theft is a Class A felony with a potential 20-year prison term. First-degree theft is a Class B felony that carries a potential 10-year prison term. Fraudulent use of a credit card and unauthorized possession of confidential personal information are Class C felonies that carry a maximum sentence of five years behind bars.
Email John Burnett at john.burnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.