A Nashville woman has been detained on accusations of financial misconduct involving elderly residents at the assisted living facility where she once managed. According to WSMV, Katie Michelle Esparza, 36, is facing a series of charges including money laundering, theft, financial exploitation, and identity theft related to her tenure at a memory care facility in Nashville.
Esparza, a former office manager at Sapphire of Music City, allegedly misused debit cards entrusted to her by two residents in the memory care unit, aged 72 and 75. Metro Nashville Police Department claims that through her position, which she held from April 2023 until her resignation in August 2025, Esparza initiated 35 Venmo transactions, transferring a total of $17,610 to her personal account. This information comes in the wake of an audit prompted by the facility’s new director, as reported by WKRN.
Further investigation revealed attempts to withdraw an additional $77,220 through 135 cash transactions, all of which were denied. Police assert that unauthorized ATM withdrawals and the purchase of personal items using the victims' debit cards were also part of the fraudulent activities—FOX 17 disclosed that surveillance video captured Esparza withdrawing $1,500 from an ATM using one of the victim's cards.
The criminal case against Esparza has gathered pace with her arrest on a Tuesday night in Maury County and her bond set at $410,000. Esparza's arraignment details have not yet been made public.
