(WWJ) A Pontiac woman is facing criminal charges, accused of stealing nearly $170,000 from an elderly woman she was supposed to be helping.
Bloomfield Township Police say Marivelis Serrano surrendered herself to the 48th District Court and was arraigned on 18 felony counts related to the scam in which she allegedly transferred $160,000 from the victim's bank account to her own.
Investigators said Serrano spent some of that money on online gambling.
Serrano, who would help the 85-year old woman with cleaning and other day-to-day work, also allegedly used the victim's debit card to buy about $10,000 including $6,200 in Amazon purchases and $3,600 in Instacart purchases.
Serrano is charged with one count of Embezzlement $100,000 or more, twelve counts of Uttering and Publishing, and five counts of Identity Theft.
She was given a $50,000 cash surety or 10% bond.
The Bloomfield Township Police Department said in a news release that it "takes crime against vulnerable members of our community very seriously and are committed to finding justice for the victims."