BROCKTON — A Fall River woman working as a home health care aide has been arraigned on charges she allegedly stole $27,000 from her clients, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced.

Vanessa L. Finglas, 40, of Fall River, was indicted on by a Plymouth County Grand Jury on two counts each of larceny over $250 from a person over 60, forgery of a check, and uttering a false check. She pleaded not guilty at her arraignment today in Brockton Superior Court.

On February 16, 2017, a family member of Finglas’s alleged victims reported to Mattapoisett Police the discovery of checks belonging to his elderly parents that appeared to have been fraudulently written. Finglas worked as a home health care aide, and was hired to care twice a week for an elderly female.

The reporting relative had been monitoring bank records and found that several suspicious checks had been written out to Finglas in various amounts over 10 months. The suspect checks had been signed by the elderly client who, due to a medical condition, was no longer able to write their signature. The reporting relative noted that the signature did not match his family member’s.

The investigation alleges that from May through November, 2016, Finglas forged 29 checks ranging between $300 and $800 to herself, and from August 2016 through February, 2017, Finglas forged 13 checks ranging between $500 and $850 to herself. In total, Finglas allegedly stole $27,100 from the couple.

Finglas was indicted on the charges on February 27, 2018. She is next scheduled to appear in court on June 11, 2018.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Mary Nguyen of the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office and was investigated by Mattapoisett Police.

--Plymouth County District Attorney's Office

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