COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, Minn. – A Columbia Heights woman is being charged with fraud after she reportedly stole thousands of dollars from her sick neighbor.
According to the criminal complaint, 37-year-old Rochelle Margaret Roper was taking care of her neighbor’s home while he received in-hospital cancer treatment in late 2012. While in the home, Roper found her neighbor’s debit card and allegedly began making charges on it and his Chase account without permission. He told law enforcement that his total loss was close to $8,000 between the dates of October 11 and October 31, 2012.
When interviewed by police in January, 2013, Roper admitted she was responsible for all charges on a bank statement obtained by police and that she made purchases totaling around $3,700 without permission; among the fraudulent transactions include charges made at Hilltop Liquors, a Holiday Gas Station in Columbia Heights, the Best Buy in Blaine, and the Target store in Fridley.
Reports note that Roper stated she took advantage of a sick, elderly man whom she considered to be both a neighbor and a friend and that she had handwritten a letter of apology to him.
