North Port: Married couple arrested for Exploitation of Elderly
City of North Port
After months of thorough investigation, a married couple is arrested and charged for attempting to exploit an elderly man they were caring for out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Rozana and Joaquin Venegas of Port Charlotte are charged with felony exploitation of the elderly for over $100,000, with possible additional charges forthcoming.
The 80-year-old North Port resident had been cared for by Rozana and Joaquin, as most of his family lives on the east coast of Florida. He is extremely hard of hearing which makes it difficult at times to communicate.
In January 2020, the victim was transported to Sarasota Memorial Hospital for treatment of numerous sores on his body due to not being cared for properly. His family had not been notified of this. The family spoke with the hospital, and they explained Rozana had completed an “Enhanced General Durable Power of Attorney” without contacting the victim’s family. On the same day, a large withdrawal was made from his account in the amount of close to $250,000, and put into their bank accounts.
Upon further investigation, there were additional checks made out to Rozana for things like hearing aids and upgrading the house, which were never purchased. The couple later admitted the checks were used to help pay off their personal bills.
When the victim was interviewed about this, he stated he didn’t know what his caretakers were trying to say to him, so he just agreed, not knowing they were taking money from him.
We want to know if anyone else has worked with Rozana and Joaquin Venegas for care taking services. If you recognize the couple or have more information, call or email Detective Chris Clark at [email protected] or 941-429-7349.
Great work to all involved in bringing these two to justice. The victim is now getting excellent care and is doing well.