A former Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital nurse is facing additional criminal charges, accused of preying on patients by stealing their credit cards. The St. Petersburg Police Department, in a post on their official Facebook page, revealed that 23-year-old Trenton Duckworth was arrested on December 13, 2024, following the allegations. Detectives uncovered evidence suggesting Duckworth had used a patient's credit card for personal transactions, which included sports betting.
The accusations against Duckworth expanded when detectives found that a second patient had also been targeted, according to the information released by the St. Petersburg Police Department, while Duckworth was employed at Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital. The second victim, who was over the age of 60, led to Duckworth being charged on January 8th with two counts of unlawful possession of a stolen debit or credit card and four counts of fraudulent use of personal identification information.
The St. Petersburg Police Department has specified the charges for the first victim as well: 13 counts of credit card fraud, two counts of uttering a check with forged endorsement, and exploitation of a person 65 years of age or older. These crimes, reported under case numbers 2024-043706 and 2024-044335, have cast a shadow over the trust typically placed in healthcare professionals.
The St. Petersburg Police Department has been vigilant in their efforts to apprehend and charge those who exploit the vulnerable, and the case against Trenton Duckworth appears to underline this commitment. Duckworth's alleged actions, as reported by the St. Petersburg Police Department, serve as a reminder of the need for ongoing vigilance within spaces that we deem safe.
