Niece steals $63K meant for aunt’s assisted living care, Coral Springs cops say

The proceeds of a condo sale were meant to go to an 87-year-old woman’s stay at an assisted living facility, but instead, her niece spent over $60,000 on herself, Coral Springs police say.

Crystal Olga Terry Gonzalez, 38, of New York, is charged with grand theft over $50,000 from a person over 65 and exploitation of an elderly person over $50,000.

Gonzalez was the caretaker for her aunt, who was developing dementia and planned to sell her condo in Hialeah to move into an assisted living facility in Palm Beach Gardens, according to a probable cause affidavit.

They sold the condo in April 2021 for just over $156,000, and the funds were deposited into two joint accounts held between Gonzalez and her aunt, intended to pay for the $3,000 monthly cost of the assisted living care, records show.

But Gonzalez started opening other accounts shortly after the sale, and the money that was supposed to go toward the facility dried up, leaving her $27,000 behind in payments, according to investigators.

From those accounts, Gonzalez withdrew $13,736 in cash, and transferred tens of thousands of dollars into her own accounts while no more money went toward her aunt’s care after an $8,849 payment was made, police said.

Gonzalez, who’s from the Bronx, spent money at Foot Locker, Marshalls, Home Depot, Burlington Coat Factory, Olive Garden and other places in the New York metropolitan area, according to the affidavit.

Across the various accounts, Gonzalez is accused of diverting $63,297 meant for her aunt to her own personal expenses.

Her aunt died in 2023 at 89, and records show Gonzalez was booked in Palm Beach County jail on June 13 following the investigation.