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Police say a woman spent more than $60,000 of someone else's money, who had health issues

Posted at 6:45 PM, Oct 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-20 00:28:43-04

A woman was arrested after being accused of spending more than $60,000 of someone else's money.

Detectives arrested Gayleen Stafford on Wednesday charging her with exploitation of the elderly or disabled adult (lack of capacity to consent).

According to Anne Bromberg, Stafford betrayed the trust of her family. Bromberg said they hired Stafford in 2010 to take care of her mother, who was battling cancer. Bromberg said her mother passed away that year.

Bromberg said she did not hire Stafford after that to take care of her father. She said she did not know Stafford, but she befriended her father, who suffers from Alzheimer's and Dementia. 

"I was angry. I was sad. I was like....my father is the nicest person in the world. How could you take advantage of him," Bromberg questioned.

Bromberg said one day she discovered a questionable expense, knowing her father would not spend that kind of money. She said she started looking into it and hired a private investigator. Then she contacted the police department. 

According to detectives, Stafford spent more than $60,000 on everyday expenses and luxurious items like an entire cruise for her family. 

"It's a gross betrayal of trust and it's overwhelming that it (has) taken this long to really put it all together. It was a lot of work," Bromberg said.

Detectives want to warn people to do their research and pay close attention to their loved ones finances. 

The Alzheimer's Association suggests getting a reference from a primary care physician. They suggest to check out those references and make sure a background check has been completed.

Bromberg wants people to learn from what her family went through. She said she did not realize it was her place to check on the expenses of her parents. 

"I really didn't know this was occurring," Bromberg said.