TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A Tucson woman convicted of defrauding an elderly couple out of more than $80,000 has been sentenced to more than nine years in prison.
State prosecutors say Cynthia Renae Ortiz was found guilty by a Pima County Superior Court jury in February on 21 counts including forgery, theft from a vulnerable adult, fraudulent schemes and artifices and taking the identity of another.
Prosecutors say an elderly Tucson woman needed respite care in 2014 for her husband who was being treated for lung cancer, dementia and renal failure.
The couple hired Ortiz, who promoted herself as a caregiver.
Within 60 days, the man died and his wife suffered a disabling injury that left her near death.
Ortiz offered to assist with estate paperwork.
