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August 16, 2002
Contact:
Lisa Curtis,
720-913-9178
APARTMENT
MANAGER ARRESTED IN
ELDER FINANCIAL
ABUSE CASE
Acting on a tip
from Wells Fargo Bank, investigators from the Denver District
Attorney’s Office and the Denver Police Department quickly
arrested a Denver apartment manager who has been charged with
stealing almost $22,000 from an 87-year-old resident of the
apartment complex.
Dorothy Sue DuPonte,
54, was arrested Tuesday and charged with one count of Theft
From an At-Risk Adult - a Class 3 Felony, two counts of Forgery
and two counts of Unauthorized Use of a Financial Transaction
Device (credit card.) DuPonte was co-manager of the apartment
building in which the victim lived at 1040 Downing Street in
Denver and had known, and even assisted, the victim for over
four years.
A Wells Fargo fraud
investigator contacted the Denver District Attorney’s Office to
report unusual and suspicious activity in the victim’s account,
such as recent large checks cashed at teller windows. The Wells
Fargo investigator was concerned as she was unable to contact
the bank’s customer. With the assistance from the Denver Police
Department, DA Investigator Ed Gruninger immediately intervened
to assure the victim’s safety and to prevent further losses.
A paper trail of
credit card charges and checks alleges DuPonte made almost
$7,000 in unauthorized credit card purchases starting in
November, 2001, and forged $15,000 in checks made out to herself
or members of her family from May 2 – August 5, 2002.
Denver District
Attorney Bill Ritter said, “The elderly, especially those who
live alone and may be isolated, are extremely vulnerable to
financial abuse. And unfortunately, they are far more likely to
be preyed upon by someone they know and trust, than by
strangers.” Since becoming Denver’s District Attorney, Ritter
has placed a priority on investigating and prosecuting financial
exploitation of older adults, and has uniquely promoted urgent
and early intervention. “The elderly often lose their life
savings in these cases, and are unable to recoup their losses.
It’s our duty to support elderly victims and their families with
aggressive prosecution of those who would prey upon them,”
Ritter said.
DuPonte is being
held on a $10,000 bond.
-30-
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The filing of a
criminal charge is merely a formal accusation that an
individual(s) committed a crime(s) under Colorado laws. A
defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
See Colo. RPC 3.6.
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