Former Salinas Nurse Charged With Elder Abuse, Tax Fraud

SALINAS (CBS SF) -- A former nursing assistant has been charged with stealing from an elderly Salinas woman in her care and providing false information on tax returns and unemployment benefit claims, prosecutors said.

Daisy Ramirez, 42, was arraigned last Tuesday on charges of elder abuse and multiple counts of tax fraud and unemployment fraud, according to Monterey County Deputy District Attorney David Rabow.

Ramirez pleaded not guilty and a preliminary hearing on the charges is set for July 3, according to Rabow.

Prosecutors allege that Ramirez when a was certified nursing assistant she neglected an 83-year-old woman for whom she was hired to care for and stole money from the woman and her husband.

Ramirez is further charged with failing to report her earnings as a caregiver on her personal income tax returns from 2009 to 2012.

She also allegedly gave false information to the California Employment Development Department and failed to disclose her income on applications for unemployment benefits, according to prosecutors.

The defendant faces more than 30 years in prison if she is found guilty of the four tax-year charges and 52 unemployment fraud charges, Rabow said.

The district attorney office worked with the Monterey Police Department, the county Public Guardian's Office and the state Franchise Tax Board and the Employment Development Department during its investigation into the case.