A cleaning lady has been charged with going on a spending spree of more than $5,000 using her wheelchair-bound client’s debit card.
On Jan. 13, an officer with the Belleview Police Department responded to Golden Oaks mobile home park to follow-up on the theft of $557 from a female victim in December, according to a warrant out of Marion County. She advised that she was going to the bank to get paperwork, which would be hard due to her being in a wheelchair.
The victim explained that she paid $600 a month to 64-year-old Pamela Kay Silver of Belleview to clean and buy groceries. She gave Silver her debit card to be used for buying groceries. However, she looked at her bank account, and there were numerous transactions that she did not authorize, the report said.
The victim gave the officer a bank statement from Jan. 1, 2024, through Dec. 9, 2024, with highlighted transactions. She went through it and marked all the transactions she did not authorize. There was a total of 173 transactions worth $5,522.30 from places including Chick-fil-A, TJ Maxx and Skechers, all in Rolling Acres Plaza in The Villages. Silver also used the card at Fresh Market and Marshalls in The Villages. In addition to numerous trip to the Chick-fil-A in the Villages, Silver also went to Chick-fil-A in Ocala. There were also many charges at Wawa.
The officer stopped by Silver’s address and asked her to meet him at the Belleview Police Department to discuss the investigation. She arrived on Jan. 22 and said she knew why she was at the police department, mentioning the bank transactions.
Silver stated the victim would have her buy groceries and sometimes requested money back. While she was out, the victim would ask for food like Chick-fil-A. Silver claimed her client also encouraged to fill up her gas tank in exchange for running errands.
On Jan. 23, another officer went back to speak with the victim. She advised that she never had Chick-fil-A because she thought it might be “too spicy.” She never gave Silver permission to buy any food for herself, and she never gave her cash back. Silver would sometimes give her receipts for groceries she bought but not often, claiming she needed them for her records, the report said.
The victim never gave Silver permission to get gas for her vehicle. She told her she could use the card for gas one time in the summer.
On Jan. 23, Silver returned to the police department to speak with an officer. She stated she used to be epileptic and had seizures, so she had memory loss. She thought about the transactions and remembered using the debit card to buy things, the report said.
The officer went through the entire transaction list, and Silver admitted to most of the charges. There were a few she was not sure about. She would buy the items with the victim’s debit card, then the victim would take the money off her $600 at the end of the month, the report said.
The officer asked how she could not remember so many transactions used on the card, and she replied that she did not know. She told him to ask her doctor. The officer then told her the victim did not eat Chick-fil-A, to which she stated she ate a sandwich, the report said.
The officer asked what percentage of the transactions hers were, to which Silver said most. He clarified that to 95%, and she agreed. He told her the victim stated she never got cash back, and Silver stated she did multiple times, the report said.
When told the victim stated she never gave permission for get gas, Silver said she did sometimes. She was questioned about the gas once more before admitting to not getting permission for that or food, the report said.
Silver then advised that she gave receipts for items bought at TJ Maxx and Marshalls to the victim. She asked if she was in trouble, to which the officer said there was a lot of money stolen. She first offered to pay for the gas and then asked if she could pay the money back to the victim and be done with it, the report said.
The officer advised that she would have to talk to the prosecuting attorney. She stated she did not want to get kicked out of her mobile home park. If she got arrested, she would be evicted, the report said.
On Jan. 27, the officer spoke with the victim about Silver again. She advised that Silver came over to her house that Friday. Silver told her that the officer wanted them to work it out, and she would pay everything back. She also threatened to kill herself if the charges continued. The officer contacted Silver and told her not to speak with the victim about the case, the report said.
Silver was ultimately arrested on a warrant Feb. 12, charging her with fraudulent use of credit card (obtain goods $100 or more) and grand theft from person 65 years of age or older (more than $300). She was transported to Marion County Jail and released after posting bond.