A home healthcare worker hired to care for an elderly Forest Hills couple is facing almost two dozen charges after police say she stole 10 of their credit cards and spent more than $17,500 on roughly 200 purchases over the course of a month. Crystal Flowers, 34, was confronted by investigators with a photo taken during one of the transactions, and she admitted she was the person pictured.
According to WPXI, Flowers was hired by Confiable Home Health Care to provide care for the elderly couple in Forest Hills. Police say the alleged thefts took place between Sept. 6 and Oct. 7, with Flowers using the stolen cards to make around 200 separate purchases. A manager at Confiable Home Health Care told the station the company would not make a statement or comment at this time.
Investigators say the break in the case came when they matched a photo taken at the South Side Flats Giant Eagle to a transaction made with one of the stolen cards. When confronted with that photo, Flowers reportedly admitted she was the person shown making the purchase, according to the same report. She now faces charges including fraud and identity theft, among nearly two dozen counts in total.
A Legal Framework for Access Device Fraud
Under Pennsylvania law, using someone else’s credit card or other access device without authorization to obtain property or services is classified as access device fraud, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. When the value involved reaches $500 or more, the statute classifies the offense as a third-degree felony, the same state code shows. The alleged total in the Forest Hills case, more than $17,500, would fall well above that threshold if proven…