A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Tasha Tierra Williams after she was accused of stealing from an elderly New Kensington man she was supposed to be helping.
Williams, 44, of New Kensington, faces five felony charges, including financial exploitation of an older adult or care dependent person.
Williams met the man, in his 80s, a year ago, according to a criminal complaint filed against her. Around that same time, fraudulent activity began appearing on his bank accounts, police said.
Williams is also accused of pawning jewelry belonging to the man’s late wife, totaling more than $6,800.
The other four felonies relate to theft.
On Jan. 30, police spoke with the alleged victim following a referral from an employee of the Westmoreland County Area Agency on Aging.
The man took police to his residence, where they found missing home appliances and an empty jewelry box, police said. Police later acquired video footage of Williams and another person, identified as Devin Lee Moore, selling jewelry, according to the complaint.
A family friend of the victim identified the jewelry as belonging to him, the complaint said.
The elderly man provided police with 2025 and 2026 bank records, which showed ATM withdrawals, payments to The City of Pittsburgh Night Court and other transactions he didn’t make, the complaint said.
Williams was the only other person to have access to the account, police said.
The charges totaled just over $17,000.
The complaint states the alleged victim gave Williams access to his account and PIN information on a “limited basis with the understanding she was to help him with his personal care.”
Williams also had access to another bank account he used.
The relationship between the elderly man and Williams is unclear from the complaint.
It states that Williams helped him get a new cellphone, but locked it with a pass code that he doesn’t know.
“ (The victim) stated she would screen his calls and have him ask her to unlock the phone whenever he wanted to make a call,” according to the complaint.