South Bay caregiver charged with elder abuse after stealing $10K from couple: sheriff

( KRON ) — A caregiver was arrested last week on April 16 after an investigation revealed a pattern of financial elder abuse by the suspect, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office (SCCSO) said Tuesday in a press release. Gerald Camposanto Cerillo, 44, is accused of using an elderly Los Altos Hills couple’s debit card for 15 unauthorized ATM withdrawals — resulting in more than $10,000 worth of cash stolen.

The 15 transactions happened last December across ATM machines across Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and Mountain View, the sheriff’s office said. The unauthorized withdrawals weren’t discovered until late February when the elderly couple’s daughter was preparing tax documents

At the time, Cerillo, a resident of Santa Clara, was assigned to be a caregiver for the Los Altos Hills couple, authorities said. He was then identified by his employer via surveillance video captured at the ATM during the time of the fraudulent transactions.

The ATM withdrawals happened at a number of 7-Eleven stores in Santa Clara, the others at Bank of America, according to the press release. Most of the withdrawals totaled $900 each.

Cerillo eventually admitted to using the elderly couple’s debit card, authorities said. He stole a total of $10,607 from the victims. He was charged with “unlawful use of a debit card and financial elder abuse by a caregiver,” SCCSO said.

Cerillo was released from custody on Friday, April 19 under "supervised own recognizance release,” SCCSO said.

Anyone with information about Cerillo or other fraud and financial crimes is asked to contact county detectives at 408-868-6600. SCCSO is also looking for other potential victims of Cerillo to contact its office.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.