Police: Caretaker Attempted to Steal $100K from Alzheimer's Patient

The caretaker of an elderly Alzheimer’s patient faces multiple charges after he allegedly manipulated the couple into giving him several loans and, ultimately, attempted to get the man to cosign on a $100,000 loan, are reporting.

Robert Carlson, a 43-year-old Royersford man, stands charged with forgery, deceptive business practices, two counts of bad checks, and five counts of theft by deception, stemming from his relationship with the Brook Drive husband and wife.

According to court documents, Carlson worked for the elderly couple as a caretaker for the husband, who suffers Alzheimer’s-related dementia. It was on the basis of this relationship that he grew close enough to the pair to begin asking for exorbitant loans he couldn't repay.

The wife reported that on May 3 she gave Carlson an $11,250 loan and then on May 25 he convinced her to give him another for $22,480. During this time Carlson also talked the invalid husband into giving him an additional $4,100, unbeknownst to the wife.

Carlson promised to pay the debt back, and gave the wife a pair of undated checks for the amount she loaned him. He asked her not to cash them until the end of June.

A subsequent investigation revealed that the account his checks were linked to—a business account for Earth First Recycling LLC of Easton, PA—not only never had sufficient funds in it to cover the check, but Carlson wasn’t authorized to draw from it.

Carlson also allegedly took money from the couple for reshingling their roof, a task he never completed.

Finally, sometime on or before July 10, Carlson, perhaps emboldened, attempted to get the elderly man to cosign on a $100,000 loan at an undisclosed Wells Fargo Bank branch.

After this attempt, the couple contacted East Pikeland Police, who arrested Carlson—after a month long investigation—on August 21. Unable to post $10,000 bail, he was placed in Chester County Prison. He faces preliminary hearing on August 30.