Irvine Woman Accused of Siphoning off $100,000 from Ailing Man
Irvine Woman Accused of Siphoning off $100,000 from Ailing Man
by Contributing Editor
A 70-year-old Irvine woman was charged Thursday with stealing more than $100,000 from her Alzheimer’s-afflicted ex-brother-in-law.
Jackie Marquez was charged with eight felony counts of theft from an elder adult exceeding $950.
Marquez pleaded not guilty at her arraignment Thursday in the jail courtroom in Santa Ana and was ordered to return to court Oct. 15 for a pretrial hearing in the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach.
According to Irvine investigator Sarah Voigt in court papers, Marquez is accused of moving the victim — Robert Christopherson — into her home in June of 2017 and taking on the role of caretaker “since he had no other family in the position to care for him.”
The two agreed on $1,345 rent, which would cover room and board, his cell phone bill and other miscellaneous expenses, Voigt said.
Initially, he was able to care for himself, but ultimately, he required much more care and help with his finances, Voigt said.
Marquez raised his rent to $2,000 and then, between September 2017 and December 2018, about $118,000 in checks were written to her from his bank account, Voigt said.
The investigator said $26,000 “appeared to be for rent and $93,000 were for miscellaneous payments written to Marquez.”
Voigt alleged that Marquez used his money to “pay off her mortgage and other various house repairs and bills.”
Voigt said the Christopherson “suffers from cognitive issues such as Alzheimer’s, and wouldn’t be able to make informed decisions regarding his finances. Based on evidence obtained in this case, it is apparent Marquez took advantage of Christopherson’s cognitive issues and began depleting his accounts to use for her benefit.”
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All credit goes to Contributing Editor
Originally published on https://mynewsla.com
