83-year-old Jeanne Beder has trouble getting around and even more trouble seeing. She’s basically blind. That’s why she called Visiting Angles to send nurses to help her.
“I called them visiting devils.”
Beder said the week the nurses came, $800 turned up missing.
“I never dreamed this was going to happen. They were highly recommended to me.”
She didn’t report the theft because she trusted Visiting Angels would make it right.
But then, one of those nurses, Cristine Martinez showed up to her home in Holiday last week, saying she wanted to check on her. And during that quick visit, another $200 was gone.
“Funny thing is she’s the one I trusted.”
The Pasco Sheriff’s Office said Martinez eventually admitted to stealing the money, telling them she needed it to pay a phone bill. She’s charged with grand theft.
“You want to trust these people because they are nurses, however you never know who’s coming into your home. This victim happened to have money that was there for the taking, it was a crime of opportunity,” said detective Ray Williamson.
Visiting Angels hasn’t returned the message we left.
But Beder said there’s been no offer give her any money back. And they haven’t even apologized.
‘I just want the money back. It’s so much money. I don’t want them to go to people’s houses like they just did to me.”
Investigators said the nurses work as independent contractors for Visiting Angels.
They said the company told them they would no longer be using Martinez.
