Caretaker Pleads Not Guilty To Embezzlement

A South San Francisco woman who was on suspicion of embezzling $60,000 from an elderly woman's checking account has pleaded not guilty to 16 felony charges, according to the district attorney's office.

Illein Cuneta Quesada, 44, has been charged with one count of elder fiscal abuse, one count of identity theft and 14 counts of forgery, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.

Quesada was arrested Saturday after an investigation revealed that she had allegedly been modifying the personal checks of an 81-year-old Millbrae woman for whom she worked as a caretaker, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

The discrepancies in the victim's checking account were initially discovered by her financial adviser. A subsequent investigation by the sheriff's office revealed that Quesada had been modifying checks since May 2011, resulting in a cumulative loss of over $60,000, according to the sheriff's office.

When she was arrested, Quesada allegedly admitted to her involvement in the embezzlement, sheriff's officials said.

She remains in custody on $340,000 bail, and is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing on July 23, Wagstaffe said.

-- Bay City News