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Woman who stole from elderly gets six years in prison

A caregiver from Chicago was sentenced to six years in prison Friday after pleading guilty in DuPage County court to stealing from two women, including one confined to hospice care in her Winfield home.

Latesha Miller, 38, of the 7000 block of South Wolcott, pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft and financial exploitation of an elderly person in front of Judge Brian Telander, who handed down the sentence.

Authorities said Miller was working in the Spring Meadows senior living facility in Naperville in August 2013 when she stole an 86-year-old resident's credit card and several checks. Miller used the card to make purchases for herself and deposited money in her bank account from the victim's checking account. She also tried to open lines of credit using the victim's personal information.

A year later, while working for a home health care agency, Miller was caring for a hospice patient in Winfield who has since died. Miller stole two checks that were both written out to an acquaintance, authorities said.

The acquaintance cashed one check for $499.50 and kept $200 for herself and gave the rest to Miller. The acquaintance also tried to cash the second check for $6,856 but was foiled because the account had been frozen.

"The greed exhibited by Latesha Miller is nothing short of heartless," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a written statement. "Her victims, an 86-year-old woman and a terminally ill woman, needed medical help in their daily lives and trusted Ms. Miller to provide that help. Ms. Miller however, had no intentions of helping these women. She saw them as nothing more than easy targets."

Miller will be required to serve half her sentence before being eligible for parole. She also was ordered to pay $9,420.16 in restitution.

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