Three home health aides were arrested for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from an 84-year-old woman who had been in their care for years. One also allegedly used the victim’s credit cards without authorization to make purchases from Amazon.
According to the investigation, between October 2019 and January 2022, the elderly victim received care from Danielle Guarino, 55, of Coram, Teresa Garcia, 53, and Mamerta Gonzalez, 72, of Ridge, all home health aides. During this time period, as the victim’s physical limitations progressed, she was no longer able to write out checks to pay for her care or her monthly bills. As a result, the victim’s daughter began to sign blank checks and then gave the checks to Guarino to write out to pay herself, Garcia, Gonzalez, and the victim’s monthly bills. The victim had a long-term disability insurance policy that required Guarino, Garcia, and Gonzalez to submit timesheets to the insurance company, detailing the hours worked so the victim could get reimbursed in accordance with the policy limits.
Guarino allegedly wrote checks to herself, Garcia, and Gonzalez in excess of what was recorded on their timesheets in the amount of $160,712. In total, Guarino allegedly received $110,000 in excess of what was recorded on her timesheets. Garcia allegedly received $43,560 in excess of what was recorded on her timesheets, and Gonzalez allegedly received $7,152 in excess of what was recorded on her timesheets. To cover up the theft, Guarino allegedly did not accurately record the payee, and dollar amounts on many of the checks written to herself, Garcia and Gonzalez in the victim’s manual check register.
In addition, between September 2019 and January 2022, Guarino allegedly used the victim’s credit cards without authorization to make $12,245 worth of purchases on Amazon, and then allegedly used the blank checks signed by the victim’s daughter to pay the resulting credit card bills.
In total, it is alleged that $172,957 was stolen from the elderly victim’s bank account.
On January 15, 2026, Garcia was arraigned before Suffolk County District Court Judge Bernard Cheng for Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a Class D felony.
Cheng ordered Garcia to be released on her own recognizance because her charges are also considered non-bail eligible under current New York State law. Garcia is due back in court on January 26, 2026.
On January 16, 2026, Gonzalez was arraigned before Cheng for Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a Class D felony. Cheng ordered Gonzalez to be released on her own recognizance because her charges are also considered non-bail eligible under current New York State law. Gonzalez is due back in court on January 29, 2026.
On January 21, 2026, Guarino was arraigned before District Court Judge Evan M. Zuckerman for:
- Grand Larceny in the Second Degree a Class C felony
- Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a Class D felony
- Identity Theft in the First Degree, a Class D felony
Zuckerman ordered Guarino to be released on her own recognizance because her charges are considered non-bail eligible under current New York State law, meaning prosecutors cannot ask for, and judges cannot set bail. Guarino is due back in court on February 10, 2026.
“The defendants were trusted aides who allegedly exploited the elderly victim’s vulnerabilities to line their own pockets,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “Thanks to the joint effort between my Financial Crimes Bureau and the Suffolk County Police Department, a thorough investigation was conducted in this case and now these defendants will be held accountable.”
“This is a disheartening case involving the financial exploitation of an elderly woman by individuals entrusted with her care,” said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina. “I commend the District Attorney’s Office and our Financial Crimes Unit detectives who worked tirelessly to uncover the truth and bring these individuals to justice. We remain committed to ensuring offenders who prey upon our vulnerable population for monetary gain will pay the price for their actions.”