A 57-year-old Port St. Lucie woman hired to care for an elderly Boca Raton client pleaded guilty Wednesday to exploitation of an elderly person or disabled adult in a case involving nearly $20,000 in alleged transactions. Investigators accused Rachel R. Albert of a scheme that stretched across nearly a year and involved forged checks and unauthorized credit card charges. She was sentenced to nearly a year behind bars and restrictions on future caregiving work.
According to court documents cited by WPBF 25 News, Albert pleaded guilty to exploitation of an elderly person or disabled adult in a Palm Beach County courtroom. She was sentenced to 364 days in the Palm Beach County jail, with credit for 33 days already served, and will spend three years on probation once she is released.
Investigators say the betrayal unfolded over nearly a year. Per the station's report, a Boca Raton Police Department arrest report alleged that between November 2023 and October 2024, Albert had access to both the victim's checkbook and the checkbook belonging to the victim's daughter. She is accused of writing fraudulent checks and depositing them into her own bank account, totaling $15,330.
Credit Card Charges Added to the Toll
The arrest report also alleged that Albert made $2,711.35 in unauthorized personal purchases using the victim's credit card, according to the same account. Albert reportedly had legitimate access to that card for necessary purchases tied to her caregiving duties, which investigators say she abused for her own spending instead.
As part of the plea, the state attorney's office declined to pursue two additional counts of fraudulent use of personal identification information that had been filed against her, the outlet notes.
Sentencing Bars Albert From Future Caregiving Work
Beyond the jail time and probation, the court imposed sweeping restrictions on Albert's future. She was ordered not to have any contact with the victim, the victim's family, or their property. The sentencing terms also bar her from working as a home health aide or in any caregiving role involving a disabled adult or elderly person, including indirectly through a third party, the same report states.
Albert was additionally ordered to pay restitution to the victim and to cover court costs tied to the case.
National Costs of Elder Fraud
Nationally, reported losses among people over 60 who were financially exploited topped $3.4 billion, with an average loss per victim of $33,915, according to a Florida Senate bill analysis. The Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office has called elder abuse and exploitation a high priority, going so far as to designate a dedicated elder abuse prosecutor, according to the State Attorney's Office.
Under Florida law, exploitation of an elderly person or disabled adult generally involves knowingly obtaining or using that person's funds, assets, or property with intent to deprive them of their use or benefit, according to the Florida Senate statute governing the offense. Albert's case now stands as a reminder of how much trust families place in caregivers — and how costly it can be when that trust is broken.
