A certified nursing assistant working at Gwynedd Healthcare and Rehabilitation in Upper Gwynedd Township is accused of stealing a debit card from an elderly female resident and making more than $3,200 in unauthorized purchases over a one-month period.
Debra Brown, 31, of Philadelphia, has been charged with felony counts of dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, theft by unlawful taking, financial exploitation of an older adult or care-dependent person, access device fraud, and identity theft, following a recent investigation by the Upper Gwynedd Police Department. She is currently in custody at the county jail in lieu of 10% of $25,000 cash bail.
Investigators were contact by an administrator from the facility in late January regarding a theft from one of their residents, described as a 76-year-old female. The woman said she had noticed her debit card was missing around Christmas, and on Jan. 22, she received an alert from her bank stating her checking account was overdrawn.
Account statements showed 57 unauthorized transactions were made on the account between Dec. 21, 2023 and Jan. 22, totaling $3,202.12, police said. Purchases were made at various businesses including Walmart, Wawa, Dunkin Donuts, Ulta, Fine Wine and Good Spirits, Muskan Eyebrows, as well as 11 transactions at a vending machine located in the employee breakroom of Gwynedd Healthcare, according to charging documents.
Investigators said Brown was identified by surveillance footage where some of the purchases were made, as well as an identification card she used while making a purchase at Fine Wine and Spirits. Scheduling records also showed that Brown was working in the same unit as the woman in the week prior to the debit card being stolen, and she worked on the same dates and times as when the stolen card was used to make vending machine purchases from the employee breakroom, police said.
Brown was arraigned Friday morning and was taken into custody after failing to post bail. Her next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on March 28 at 10:30 a.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine.
Gwynedd Healthcare and Rehabilitation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This article will be updated if a response is received.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
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