Home Health Aide Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud Involving Check Taken From Elderly Client

Miami, Fl. -- Jamie Jakia Cofer, a/k/a “Anna Bell,” 24, of Lake Worth, Florida, pled guilty yesterday to bank fraud, after depositing and cashing an unauthorized check that was taken from an elderly client. 

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Miami Field Office and Brian J. Smith, Chief, Juno Beach Police Department made the announcement.

According to the agreed upon factual proffer, from at least on or about January 24, 2019, through no earlier than the first quarter of 2020, Cofer worked as a home health aide (HHA) for senior citizens in the South Florida community. 

On May 31, 2019, without the knowledge or consent of a senior citizen client, Cofer deposited a $4,200.00 fraudulent check, belonging to the victim, into a bank account belonging to another individual.  The authorized accountholder of the bank account  gave Cofer permission and authority to use her account to deposit the stolen check and access the deposited funds.  Cofer withdrew funds from the account and used the proceeds she obtained from cashing the unauthorized check for her own, and others’, personal benefit.

During the course of her employment, through at least two companies and as a private HHA, Cofer victimized at least five senior citizens, including the bank fraud victim.  Cofer stole the personal identifying information (PII) of her elderly clients (to include: name, date of birth, Social Security number, bank account and credit card information); gained unauthorized access to the victims' bank and credit card accounts; added herself on victims' accounts; made unauthorized and fraudulent purchases and transactions using victims' accounts (to include credit cards and a bank accounts); deposited checks; and used stolen PII to open unauthorized accounts and make fraudulent purchases.  In addition, Cofer stole an iPhone and credit cards from a sixth victim. 

Cofer is scheduled to be sentenced on June 3, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. by U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks.

U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the FBI and Juno Beach Police Department for its work on this investigation. She also thanked the Lantana Police Department and Boca Raton Police Department for their assistance.

Assistant United States Attorney Sarah J. Schall is prosecuting this case.

Anyone with information about allegations of elder fraud can report it by calling the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 or 833–372–8311.

More information about the Department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative at https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice.  For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at https://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or at 877-FTC-HELP.  The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at https://www.ovc.gov.

You may find related court documents and information on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case numbers 20-MJ-8273 and 21-CR-80003-Middlebrooks.  

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