A Tucson woman was found guilty of 21 felony counts for defrauding an elderly couple out of over $80,000, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office said Tuesday.
A jury found Cynthia Renae Ortiz guilty Feb. 14 before Pima County Superior Court Judge Gus Aragón. She was convicted of two counts of fraudulent schemes and artifices, 11 counts of taking the identity of another, five counts of forgery and one count each of aggravated taking the identity of another, theft and theft from a vulnerable adult.
Ortiz faces between 4½ to 30 years in prison. She is scheduled to be sentenced March 12.
According to the state Attorney General’s Office:
In 2014, a woman needed respite in caring for her husband, who was being treated for lung cancer, dementia and renal failure. The couple hired Ortiz, who told them she was a caregiver.
Within two months, the woman’s husband died from his illnesses and Ortiz offered to assist with the estate paperwork. Then the widow “suffered a disabling injury that left her near death.”
During this time, Ortiz took the dead man’s credit cards and made purchases. She also stole the man’s identity to rent a home and open a credit card.
Ortiz stole the widow’s identity and opened another credit card, charging more than $42,000.
She used the widow’s money to pay off the debt, and she took death benefit checks payable to the widow and liquidated stocks.
