Coral Springs Caregiver Accused of Stealing $217,000 From 97-Year-Old Client Through Hundreds of Cash Withdrawals

Coral Springs police have arrested a 60-year-old caregiver accused of draining more than $217,000 from the bank accounts of the 97-year-old woman she was paid to look after. Maureen Wade was arrested Thursday, Nov. 5, and faces first-degree felony charges of grand theft of $100,000 or more, criminal use of personal identification information without consent involving $50,000 or more, and exploitation of an elderly person, according to court documents reported by CBS News Miami.

Investigators say Wade made 354 cash withdrawals totaling $217,343.89 from the woman's accounts between May 2022 and April 2026. Her son says she is innocent and is being set up. The charges are accusations, and Wade has not been convicted of any crime.

How the case came to light

The investigation began in March, after the elderly woman told relatives she was "running out of money," according to the arrest records described by CBS News Miami. Her niece and the niece's husband began reviewing her accounts and found a pattern they considered suspicious: ATM deposits followed immediately by cash withdrawals.

They took the records to Coral Springs police. Detectives concluded that Wade was the only person with access to the accounts, CBS News Miami reported. The victim has not been publicly identified by authorities.

What investigators say they found

According to police, the 354 withdrawals were made at Bank of America ATMs and at locations including Publix and Walgreens stores, as well as a Food & Beverage store in neighboring Margate. Investigators say they obtained 41 Bank of America surveillance videos that show a woman matching Wade's description, driving a vehicle matching hers, making the deposits and withdrawals.

An employee at the Margate store told detectives he recognized Wade as a frequent customer who came in several times a week to play the lottery, according to the report.

Investigators also traced larger movements of money. NBC 6 South Florida reported that detectives identified eight transfers totaling more than $200,000 from the woman's retirement account to a money-market account, and 94 checks totaling more than $300,000 that were part of the flow of money through her accounts. Police have tied the $217,343.89 figure specifically to the cash withdrawals.

The alleged thefts span about four years, as summarized below.

The son's account

Wade's son, who asked CBS News Miami not to identify him, disputed the allegations. He said his mother earned $400 a week caring for the woman and took on the job as a favor. He called the accusations a lie and said that someone is "setting my mother up."

As of Thursday morning, online jail records showed Wade being held at the Broward Sheriff's Office North Broward Bureau in Pompano Beach, and she was expected to appear in bond court later that day, Local 10 News reported. A bond amount had not been reported as of Friday. No defense attorney was listed in early coverage.

What the charges mean under Florida law

Each of the three charges sits at or near the top of Florida's felony scale because of the dollar amounts involved.

• Exploitation of an elderly person: Under section 825.103 of the Florida Statutes, exploitation includes knowingly obtaining or using an elderly person's money or property, with intent to deprive them of it, by someone who stands in a position of trust and confidence. When the value is $50,000 or more, it is a first-degree felony. The same statute also specifically covers misappropriating money from an account that belonged solely to the elderly person.
• Grand theft: Theft of property worth $100,000 or more is a first-degree felony under Florida's theft statute.
• Criminal use of personal identification information: Under section 817.568, fraudulently using another person's identifying information without consent becomes a first-degree felony when the benefit or loss is $50,000 or more, with a five-year mandatory minimum prison term that rises to 10 years when the amount reaches $100,000.

A first-degree felony in Florida is punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Prosecutors with the Broward State Attorney's Office will decide which charges to formally file.

A pattern of cases in Broward

The arrest is one of several recent Broward County cases accusing paid caregivers of financially exploiting the people they serve. NBC 6 reported that in a separate case announced the same week, a 47-year-old caretaker in Sunrise was charged with grand theft, fraudulent use of personal identification and elderly exploitation, accused of using a 99-year-old client's debit card from June to October to buy items including an iPhone 17 and jewelry and to pay her own car insurance, totaling nearly $4,000.

Courts in such cases often attach conditions to pretrial release. In November 2025, when a former manager of a Coral Springs assisted living facility was charged with exploiting an 82-year-old resident, a Broward judge set bond at $78,500, ordered no contact with the victim and barred her from working with elderly or disabled adults while the case was pending, Local 10 News reported at the time.

In the Wade case, it was family members reviewing bank statements, not a bank or agency, who first spotted the pattern. Investigators have described the alleged scheme as small, repeated cash transactions rather than a single large transfer, the kind of activity that can go unnoticed for years when an older person relies on one trusted helper to handle errands and banking.

Florida's population of residents 65 and older is among the largest in the nation, and in-home caregivers often have direct access to bank cards, checkbooks and online accounts. Florida law requires anyone who suspects that a vulnerable adult is being abused, neglected or exploited to report it to the Florida Abuse Hotline, run by the Department of Children and Families, at 1-800-962-2873. Reports can also be made online through the department's website.

What's next

Wade's case now moves to the Broward County courts. Prosecutors must decide whether to file the charges as recommended by police, and she will have the opportunity to contest the allegations. Coral Springs police have not said whether they expect additional charges or whether any of the money has been recovered.