Additional Coverage:
Washington D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton Reportedly Scammed Out of Thousands, Police Note “Early Signs of Dementia”
Washington D.C.’s long-serving delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, 88, was recently scammed out of $4,400 by individuals posing as a cleaning crew, according to a police report. The report also describes Norton as showing “early signs of dementia,” a detail her office has neither confirmed nor denied.
The incident occurred last Thursday when individuals posing as a cleaning crew gained access to Norton’s home and obtained her credit card information. The scammers then proceeded to make unauthorized charges for services not rendered, totaling $4,400 before a “house manager and a friend” intervened.
Norton’s office, in a statement to NBC4, declined to comment on the delegate’s health, asserting that “The medical diagnosis included in the police report was based on an assumption the reporting officer was unqualified to make.”
Further details from the police report, as reported by The Daily Beast, suggest Norton’s living situation is akin to assisted living, with her staff potentially acting as caretakers. The report specifically identifies the “house manager” who halted the scam as Norton’s “caretaker/power of attorney.”
However, Norton’s office refuted these claims, stating, “Congresswoman Norton doesn’t have a caretaker. A longtime employee and friend serves as the house manager, residing at a separate address.” The office clarified that Norton willingly provided her credit card information to the scammers, believing they had been hired by the house manager.
This incident follows earlier concerns raised this year when Norton, who has represented D.C. since 1991, indicated her intention to seek re-election despite suggestions from friends and colleagues that she consider retirement.