Waterbury woman, charged in home health aide thefts in Bristol, looking to avoid prosecution

BRISTOL - A Waterbury woman accused of stealing from elderly patients, while working in Bristol as a home health aide worker, is seeking a program that could allow her to avoid prosecution.

Mary Geagea, 27, has applied for Accelerated Rehabilitation - a first-time offender program that lasts up to two years as a form of pretrial form of probation. She filed her application for the program last week in Bristol Superior Court, and state prosecutors have not yet indicated whether they'll object to its granting.

Geagea, who is free on $1,500 bond, is facing two felony counts of second-degree larceny. Although a second-degree larceny charge usually requires a theft of more than $10,000, it can be applied if the victim is either older than 60, blind or disabled.

In one of her arrests, Geagea was assigned on April 18 to work as a home health aide for a Stafford Avenue woman who suffers from dementia and Alzheimer's disease, according to the arrest warrant. After working there for several weeks, the woman's son noticed several things around the house were missing, including $20 from his mother's purse, about $250 from a spare change jar and about $235 worth of miscellaneous items from the kitchen.

The son also later noticed a little over $160 worth of fraudulent charges to his credit card and a $373 charge on his mother's bank account, which went toward a car payment in Geagea's mother's name, the warrant said. The thefts and fraudulent activity were reported to police in May, and Geagea was arrested in July.

In her other case, Geagea has been accused of stealing cash and jewelry from a disabled, elderly couple when she served as their home health aide. The victim told officers he had hired Geagea on May 13 to provide care for him and his wife, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. Five days later, the man found $100 missing from his wallet and another $500 missing from another spot in his home.

Additionally, the victim noticed a check was gone from his checkbook and his wife's necklace, which has her engagement ring hanging on it, was replaced by another necklace, according to the warrant. The man valued the necklace and ring at $500.

During the investigation, it was discovered that the missing check had been used to make a $263 payment to an insurance policy in Geagea's mother's name, the warrant said. Also found was a $199 payment, using the victim's bank account, to a cell phone account in Geagea's name, police said. This charge was reversed after the victim reported it as fraud.

Police, according to the warrant, found Geagea had sold a necklace and a ring to a pawn shop. They both had already been sent away to be melted, but the victim was able to look at a photo of the jewelry and identify it as belonging to his wife.

Justin Muszynski can be reached at 860-973-1809 or jmuszynski@bristolpress.com.