A Black 95-year-old Navy veteran with Alzheimer’s is reportedly the victim of embezzlement, identity theft, and fraud. And the person police charged for allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from him will make you shake your head in shame.
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Erica Hopper, who once worked as a finance program analyst at the U.S. House of Representatives, is accused of stealing from her own grandfather after she was granted Power of Attorney for the then-90-year-old in December 2020. Power of Attorney allowed her to have authority over his finances with an expectation to act in his best interest, the Montgomery County Department of Police said. Instead, she allegedly spent $266,000 of her grandfather’s life savings on front row seats to an Usher concert, a 2022 Kia Stinger, trips to Las Vegas and New Orleans, cosmetic surgery, designer clothing and accessories. She allegedly did so by stealing her elderly grandfather’s pension and social security over the span of five years.
But wait, there’s more.
The 45-year-old is also accused of making her grandfather, who police said lived in a nursing home after his wife of over 60 years died, a co-tenant for a luxury apartment building near Union Market in Northeast D.C. Meanwhile, the grandfather was reportedly bouncing between nursing homes, at least three in total, racking up $52K in unpaid balances, detectives said.
A concerned family member filed a complaint in November 2021 against Hopper, and detectives began to investigate. According to charging documents, when a family member grew suspicious of Hopper’s luxurious lifestyle, she claimed her salary as a House staffer was the reason last April. The detective in the criminal case wrote that Hopper was fired from that job a month later.
On Aug. 27, Hopper was arrested on theft of over $100,000+, a theft scheme over $100,000+, obtaining property from a vulnerable adult over $100,000+, embezzlement, and fraudulent identity theft of $25,000–$100,000 charges. Fox 5 reports she has since been released on unsecured personal bond. Hopper’s alleged last purchase with her grandfather’s money was as recent as June.
Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy called out one “sad fact.” He said: “About 90% of money lost in financial scams, you lose to a family member,” per News4. The Montgomery County Department of Police continues to urge “residents to learn the warning signs of financial exploitation” and to “take proactive steps to protect vulnerable family members.”
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