Three women have been arrested in connection with the theft of $91,000 from an 88-year-old Memphis woman suffering from dementia. According to WREG, the suspects, Jennifer McLemore, 49, Melissa Stewart, 49, and Sally Dekoe Baggott, 71, were charged after an employee of the Memphis City Employee Credit Union reported concerns about potential financial exploitation.
The investigation, which began on September 3, 2024, indicated that the women had access to the victim's funds through their relationships with her—the latter two as caregivers, and Baggott having been signed over as attorney to handle her financial affairs, according to court documents. McLemore and Stewart are accused of crimes that include theft of property of $60,000 to $250,000, financial exploitation of an elderly, vulnerable person, and identity theft. While charges for Baggott have yet to be disclosed, according to information from Action News 5.
The women allegedly wrote checks for themselves and made personal purchases using the victim's debit card. The stolen funds were spent on items and services including a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek, and purchases from Amazon, Temu, and even tickets for the Memphis Grizzlies. The total loss was marked at $91,454.24, with the victim's bank account seeing reductions over a short period.
Court records obtained by FOX13 Memphis allege that the victim signed over Stewart as her power of attorney, after which Stewart, and McLemore wrote checks totaling $31,000 to themselves. Pointedly, in July 2024, Stewart is said to have purchased a vehicle with the victim's identity, posing as her granddaughter.
The Better Business Bureau advises frequent checks of financial accounts to forestall such exploitation. The three women are expected to appear in court for these charges.
