Anna Bullinger Sarasota, Florida caregiver accused of masterminding scheme which saw her steal more than $1.1million from 94 year old woman under her charge.
A Florida caregiver has been accused of exploiting a 94 year old woman under her charge after allegedly stealing over $1.1 million prior to the elderly woman’s recent death.
Anna Bullinger, 55, was booked on a charge of exploitation of the elderly according to a statement released by Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators claim Bullinger fleecing her 94 year old Nokomis, FLA. victim over the course of four years, from the time of her employment in 2014 and right up to her death in June of last year.
Nardone had hired Bullinger in 2014 to drive her to doctor’s appointment and run errands to the bank and supermarket, court papers showed. She worked 40 hours a week and was paid $20 an hour.
‘It is shocking. The only reason they found out is because the last check she wrote was the day after the victim died, which was $90,000,’ Carlos Verondi, a detective with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, told Fox 13 Tampa.
Notice of the alleged misappropriations came after an attorney reviewed transactions pertaining to the 94 year old woman. The Satatosa Herald Tribune reported disconcert in September after the lawyer came across ‘suspicious’ bank transactions.
The sheriff’s office issued a news release Friday that said starting in January of 2015, Bullinger, of Sarasota, was able to steal over $500,000 from Nardone by cashing 147 checks.
But there’s more. Continued the news release:
‘Bullinger is also suspected of transferring a trust account valued at $650,000 to her daughter in January 2019,’ the release added. ‘Collectively, the amount stolen from the victim totals $1,102,307.’
Bullinger was arrested on New Year’s Eve and released the same day on bail.
She denied the charges during a brief interview when Fox 13 approached at her front door on Friday.
‘That’s not true. Goodbye,’ she said.
Linda Howell, a neighbor of Nardone’s, told WWSB-TV she used to see Bullinger and other caretakers come and go.
‘We had a little episode where the caretaker broke down crying to my husband about how awful it was that she was having to spend her life taking care of Peggy,’ she told the media outlet.
Of note, the allegations against Bullinger follow the caretaker previously been arrested for theft.
