FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A 53-year-old woman who faced 42 charges after detectives accused her of fraud related to elderly victims appeared in bond court on Saturday in Broward County.
Ammie Padilla stood before Broward County Circuit Judge Betsy Benson after detectives accused her of crimes while she was an accounting contractor for Elder Solutions, a company based in Lauderhill that provides guardians and geriatric care managers.
“She is not with that company. She is with an engineering company. She no longer works for that firm, and she is prohibited from going back to work,” Benson said in court about Padilla’s employment status and an order to avoid “caretaker contact with the elderly.”
A prosecutor told Benson during the hearing that Padilla was handling “the books,” was involved in “management of funds for the elderly,” and had power of attorney over one of the victims during the alleged crimes.
Inmate records show Broward Sheriff’s Office correctional deputies booked Padilla on Friday after her arrest in Coral Springs, and she was at the Paul Rein Detention Facility on Saturday evening in Pompano Beach.
Benson ordered Padilla to stay away from the witnesses in the case and to abide by the rules of pre-trial house arrest with a GPS monitor if she was released on bond.
“The kind of GPS where she has to tell us where she is going,” Benson said in court.
Padilla faced charges of first-degree grand theft of $100,000 or more, exploitation of the elderly of $100,000 or more, exploitation of the elderly of $20,000 or more, obtain property of over $50,000 by fraud, larceny of credit card, received money or property obtained fraudulently with the use of a credit card, illegal use of a credit card expired or revoked, fraudulent use of personal identification of another without consent for $50,000 or more, 15 counts of forgery of a bank bill note check draft, and 19 counts of fraud-utter false instrument. Her bond was $210,000.
Benson also ordered Padilla to prove that the source of the funds for her bond was not related in any way to criminal activity.
Detectives asked anyone with information about this or other cases to call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477 to remain anonymous.
Local 10 News Assignment Editor Carson Merlo contributed to this report.
Watch the court hearing
Local 10 News requested the arrest reports and records in the case.
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