Feb. 20--A caregiver allegedly involved in the theft of $631,000 from an elderly Palos Hills woman is facing additional charges, according to court documents.
Marion Issert, 65, of Joliet, was arrested and charged with one count of felony senior financial exploitation in January. She pleaded not guilty to an additional felony charge of senior financial exploitation, three felony theft charges and one felony forgery charge at the Bridgeview courthouse on Tuesday, according to court documents.
Palos Hills police Deputy Chief James Boie previously said police are seeking two other women who were allegedly part of the scheme and obtained warrants for them. Boie said they left the country and Palos Hills police are working with federal authorities to see if there is anything they can do to track them down.
"We're sort of at their mercy right now," Boie said.
Palos Hills police previously said one of the women sought was a friend of the victim's who may have helped Issert get a job as her 24-hour caregiver.
The three allegedly took the woman to banks to transfer funds from her account between June and October 2014, police said.
According to court documents, the victim, 86, suffers from dementia.
Police said the suspects initially asked the woman to donate the money to a church group in the Philippines and transferred the money to their own accounts, intending to later send it overseas, after she refused.
Police began investigating after a bank reported suspicious activity on the woman's accounts, including withdrawals that ranged from $15,000 to $317,000, Palos Hills police Chief Paul Madigan said.
Authorities froze the accounts the money had been transferred to and were able to recover all but $88,000, Madigan said.
Boie previously said police would not release the names of the two women still sought because police had not spoken with them and do not know the extent to which they allegedly played a role in the scheme.
"We have probable cause to believe they're involved," Boie said. "When the accounts were frozen, they left the country and we don't think it's coincidental."
lzumbach@tribpub.com
