By Stephen Stirling
A Brooklyn woman was charged with larceny last week after allegedly bilking more than $110,000 from a 95−year−old Whitestone man, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
Gwendolyn Davis, 51, of Brooklyn Avenue, was arraigned on a laundry list of criminal charges Oct. 1 for allegedly defrauding Witold Matlawski, an invalid and mechanical engineer under her care, according to the DA.
Grand larceny, identity theft, criminal possession of stolen property, scheme to defraud and falsifying business records were among the charges Davis was arraigned on in Queens Criminal Court last week, Brown said.
Brown said if convicted, Davis could spend 15 years in prison.
“The home is one place that an elderly individual should feel the most safe,” Brown said. “In this case, the victim opened his door to the defendant and put his life and his trust in her hands, only to see her allegedly use her position to loot him of his savings.”
Brown said Davis allegedly stole about $112,000 from Matlawski over a period of two years after gaining access to his bank account numbers and Social Security information while working as his full−time home attendant.
Between Oct. 15, 2007, and July 19, 2008, Davis is accused of diverting Matlawski’s mail and adding her name to his credit cards and bank accounts, the DA said. According to Brown, Davis allegedly used this information to deplete Matlawski’s bank account of more than $60,000 while running up credit card bills of more than $52,000.
Brown said Matlawski and his daughter, Danuta Vitale, discovered the discrepancies during an audit, immediately fired Davis and reported it to police. Davis was arrested by federal agents from the U.S. Postal Service last week, Brown said.
Reach reporter Stephen Stirling by e−mail at Sstirling@timesledger.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, ext. 138.
