NEWARK
– A joint investigation by the Office
of the Attorney General and State Division
of Consumer Affairs, and the Medford Police
Department, led to the arrest of a registered
nurse, charged with stealing approximately
$682,000 from her elderly client’s
bank accounts over the course of approximately
one year.
Medford
Police arrested Mariejo J. Cherestal, 45,
of Medford, at her home on February 1 as
a result of the investigation. She is charged
with theft by deception. The joint investigation
began when Medford Police notified the State
Division of Consumer Affairs and its Enforcement
Bureau about suspicions regarding checks
apparently written to Cherestal, but under
a different name, from the client’s
bank account.
“This
arrest is a shining example of the commitment
by New Jersey’s law enforcement community,
to share intelligence and resources at the
state and local levels in order to protect
our citizens from theft and fraud,”
Attorney General Paula T. Dow said. “Crimes
against the vulnerable are particularly
unconscionable, and I commend those who
worked together on this investigation.”
Investigators
from the Division of Consumer Affairs’
Enforcement Bureau investigated and learned
that numerous checks in amounts from $200
to $20,000 had been issued to Cherestal
under the names of “M. Joyce Victor,”
“Mariejo J. Cherestal,” and
“Mariejo Joyce Cherestal.”
“Today,
anyone who attempts to take advantage of
the elderly by posing as a trusted caretaker,
should be on high alert. The State will
not stand for crimes like this, and will
use all the resources at our disposal –
including our partnerships with local police
– to find the facts and bring perpetrators
to justice,” said Thomas R. Calcagni,
Acting Director of the State Division of
Consumer Affairs.
Consumers who wish to hire a health care
service firm to perform personal care should
first make certain the agency is registered
with the Division of Consumer Affairs. Consumers
can check whether a health care service
is registered via a listing on the Division’s
website, at www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/ocp/agency.pdf.
The
Division of Consumer Affairs is seeking
other past clients of Cherestal, who has
also used the name Mariejo Constant. Consumers
who wish to file a complaint in connection
with this action can contact the Division
of Consumer Affairs at 856-482-4360.
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