Charges: Mazeppa Woman Stole Over $175K from Vulnerable Adult

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A Mazeppa woman is facing nearly a dozen felony charges connected to the financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult. 

See Also: Rochester Man Imprisoned For Shooting Admits to Witness Tampering

That’s according to a criminal complaint filed in Olmsted County Court on Tuesday. She’s accused of draining the victim's bank account over the course of five years. 

The charges say an Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office detective was assigned to an adult protection case involving a vulnerable adult possibly being financially exploited in June. 

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The investigator learned the victim, who suffers from Alzheimer's, had an outstanding balance of nearly $30,000 at a Rochester memory care center.

The victim’s power of attorney had written the facility a $10,500 check that was returned for insufficient funds, the complaint says. 

Mazeppa Woman Accused of Stealing More $175K Over 5 Years from Woman with Alzheimer's

58-year-old Dahpne Jo Castillo was identified as the victim’s power of attorney. A review of the victim’s account led to the discovery of multiple withdrawals that were deemed suspicious by law enforcement. 

Castillo admitted to making the withdrawals during an interview with the detective and said at one point she used $78,000 from the victim’s account to buy a truck, the complaint says. 

Castillo also told law enforcement she bought gifts for herself with the victim’s money and claimed she used the account to buy items the victim wanted, though she could not produce recipes for purchases made for the vulnerable adult, the charges say. 

A further review of the victim’s account highlighted 10 transactions dating back to July of 2019. The withdrawals, which ended this past June, range from $3,047.18 to  $44,607.28, according to the court document. 

The 10 transactions listed in the criminal complaint add up to $178, 643.16. Castillo is charged with 10 counts of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult and one count of issuing a dishonored check. 

She’s scheduled to make her first court appearance early next year.

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