Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 41-year-old Latonia N. Turner of Buffalo pleaded guilty yesterday afternoon before State Supreme Court Justice Debra Givens to one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (Class “D” felony). The defendant pleaded guilty to the highest sustainable charge.
Between April 27, 2023 and June 8, 2023, the defendant, while working as a personal care aide at senior living facility in the Town of Amherst, stole an elderly resident’s debit card by going through a purse while the victim was asleep. The defendant fraudulently used the debit card to make 55 unauthorized ATM withdrawals from the victim’s bank account. The defendant was able to gain access to the account because the victim had written her personal identifying number for the debit card on a piece of paper, which was also inside of her purse.
The crime was uncovered after the victim reviewed her checking account statement and reported the fraudulent transactions to the bank. The bank reimbursed the victim for the loss, which totaled $41,216.
During the investigation, the defendant subsequently confessed to law enforcement. Surveillance videos from the bank and the senior facility corroborated the crime.
As part of her guilty plea, Turner signed a Confession of Judgment to pay full restitution to the bank. She will also lose her ability to be employed as a personal care aide in the future due to the felony conviction.
Turner faces a maximum of 7 years in prison when she is sentenced on Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. She was released on her own recognizance.
“Anyone can become the victim of a financial crime, so I encourage everyone to take extra precautions to safeguard their personal information. Please, do not write passwords or PINs on your debit card or anywhere that can be easily located by a scammer,” said Erie County DA John Flynn.
DA Flynn commends Detective Julian Chinana of the Amherst Police Department for his work in this investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Christopher P. Jurusik of the Special Investigations and Prosecutions (SIP) Bureau.
