Fresno woman arrested in elder care theft of thousands of dollars

A Fresno woman faces multiple felony charges involving elder abuse in connection with identity theft that resulted in the loss of thousands of dollars from the now-deceased 91-year-old victim.

Bail for Alicia Pfalzgraff, 33, was set at $215,000 after she was booked into Fresno County Jail on Oct. 12. Fresno County Sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti said detectives were alerted to the case on June 10, when an employee at an assisted living center told authorities that Pfalzgraff was not paying for the victim’s medications and was late with care payments. The victim, identified as Eva Pearson, died Sept. 2.

In 2011, Pfalzgraff was given power of attorney by the victim, gained control of her bank account and became her paid caretaker. Her job was to take the victim to appointments and pick up medications. The victim moved into an assisted living facility and Pfalzgraff was given permission to stay in the victim’s house in the 7200 block of North First Street rent free. Botti said Pfalzagraff not only stole money, but opened credit card accounts using the victim’s name and misrepresented herself as the victim’s granddaughter to sell a 1963 Chevrolet Impala for $25,000.

The house caught fire on Aug. 23. The the garage was destroyed and the rest sustained major damage. Investigators reported the cause was possibly arson. The house caught fire again Oct. 4. Both fires remain under investigation. Detectives are asking the public for additional information about Pfalzgraff as well as information about the fires. Tips should go to detective Skip Swain at 559-600-8025 or Crime Stoppers at 559-498-STOP.

This story was originally published October 18, 2016 at 1:45 PM with the headline "Fresno woman arrested in elder care theft of thousands of dollars."