Lehigh Acres caretaker pleads guilty to stealing elder’s jewelry

A Lehigh Acres woman facing multiple charges after authorities say she stole more than $70,000 worth of jewelry from people she cared for in Alva and Bonita Springs has learned her fate.

Erica Maxwell, 57, pleaded guilty Dec. 3 to two counts of theft and two counts of false title verification and will spend 175 days behind bars with credit for time served, followed by three years of probation.

On May 29, state prosecutors said they would not file charges in the Bonita Springs incident and would continue to investigate Alva.

Detectives arrested Maxwell on April 30 on multiple charges related to separate incidents, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives began investigating in March after the first victim reported $21,300 worth of jewelry stolen from their Bonita Springs home while in Maxwell’s home care, the sheriff’s office said.

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During the investigation, detectives were alerted to another case in Alva where Maxwell stole more than $50,000 worth of jewelry.

Detectives learned that the employer fired Maxwell after receiving two theft complaints within three weeks.

The sheriff’s office said between March and April, Maxwell made several transactions at a pawn shop where she sold the stolen jewelry.

On Dec. 3, Maxwell pleaded guilty to four of the six charges she faced in the Alva incident: two counts of theft and two counts of falsely asserting ownership or identification of a pawn shop.

The state dropped Maxwell’s two remaining charges in the case — two counts of stolen property.

Thomas Rodriguez is a breaking/breaking news reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Thomas can be reached at [email protected] or 772-333-5501. Connect with him in the threads @tomasfrobeltranInstagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.

This article originally appeared on the Fort Myers News-Press: Lehigh Acres caretaker convicted of jewelry theft