Health Aide Sentenced For Stealing $200,000 From Lorain Woman

GRAFTON, OH — A Grafton woman has been sentenced to prison for exploiting a blind and physically disabled person she was caring for, the Department of Justice announced.

Jamie Kidd-Dunbar, 40, was sentenced to 61 months in prison and ordered to pay $217,096 in restitution. She pleaded guilty in October 2020 to exploiting her position as a home health aide to steal more than $200,000 from a person in her care.

“Our aging and disabled family members and friends must be able to trust those who are hired to assist them," said Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget Brennan. “The fact that Ms. Kidd-Dunbar exploited that trust for her own personal gain, and ignored the needs of two women, one of whom was both blind and physically disabled and the other 90 years old, highlights the egregiousness of her conduct and underscores the need for a significant term of incarceration.”

In March 2016, Kidd-Dunbar became the home health aide for a 60-year-old woman. The 60-year-old had suffered a series of strokes that left her blind and dependent on a wheelchair, court documents said. Kidd-Dunbar had access to the woman's debit card information so she could buy her groceries and other household supplies.

In January 2018, Kidd-Dunbar started using the woman's debit card to make small, unauthorized purchases, court documents said. In time, the thefts escalated to large cash withdrawals and significant purchases from Amazon, Rent-A-Center and PlayStation, court documents said.

In 2016, Kidd-Dunbar also became the home health aide for her patient's 90-year-old aunt. She was also given access to the 90-year-old's credit card information. When the woman died in 2017, Kidd-Dunbar continued to use the woman's credit card, court documents said.

Kidd-Dunbar would use the 60-year-old's debit card to pay the credit card debt on the 90-year-old woman's car, court documents noted.

In June 2019, a substitute home health aide replaced Kidd-Dunbar for the 60-year-old. The substitute noticed the unauthorized purchases on the debit card and asked the 60-year-old about the charges, court documents said. The 60-year-old then investigated the purchases and contacted law enforcement.

The FBI and Elyria police investigated Kidd-Dunbar, with help from the Lorain County Prosecutor's office.