Crime & Safety
Sheriff: Palatine Woman Stole More Than $200K from Her Grandma, 98
A Palatine granddaughter was caught stealing more than $200,000 from her 98-year-old Grandmother.
A 43-year-old Palatine woman is accused of stealing more than $200,000 from her 98-year-old grandmother, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Department.
Jennifer Curtis, 43, of the 300 block of N. Tanglewood Avenue in Palatine wrote checks, made electronic payments and forged electronic wire transfers from her grandmother’s financial accounts to pay for her own credit cards, loans, vacations, spending and much more, police officials said.
Curtis, who was her grandmother’s power of attorney from Oct. 2005 to July 2011, intercepted bank and credit card statements from her grandmother’s Indian Head Park residence to hide the withdrawals from the elderly woman, authorities said.
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The statements showed charges for trips to the Cayman Islands, Costa Rica and cities all over the United States, in addition to charges for restaurants, apparel, food, gas and even car payments, according to the sheriff’s news release.
After becoming suspicious of the 98-year-old woman’s finances, family members changed the power of attorney to a niece of the victim and contacted law enforcement. The total amount of loss is over $200,000.
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The Cook County Sheriff’s Financial Crimes and Senior Exploitation Unit, along with Indian Head Park Police, took a Palatine woman into custody Wednesday without incident.
Charged with forgery and senior financial exploitation, both felonies, Curtis was issued a $100,000 bond. According to the release, Curtis is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 29 at the Bridgeview Courthouse for her next court hearing.
