Woman charged in scam against Calabasas senior citizen

$20,000 in checks allegedly stolen



A Thousand Oaks woman suspected of forging checks and stealing about $20,000 from an elderly woman earlier this summer is now facing felony elder abuse and identity theft charges, according to Ventura County court records.

Sandra Joyce Zbinden, 37, was working for a Calabasas-based accounting firm when she cashed or deposited into her own bank account at least six checks belonging to an 83- year-old woman she was assigned to help, authorities say.

Detective Dennis Sliva of the Thousand Oaks Police Department would not name the firm but said the company manages other people’s money. The victim, a Calabasas resident, is a client of the company and was assigned to Zbinden.

“In order for them to manage your money, you give them blank checks and they pay all your bills for you—utilities, rent, that kind of thing,” Sliva said.

Zbinden allegedly cashed or deposited about $20,000 worth of the woman’s checks between July and August before a manager at the accounting firm discovered the crime and fired her. The company then alerted authorities and the Ventura County Credit Union, where the victim does her banking.

On Aug. 16, Zbinden was arrested at the VCCU branch on W. Thousand Oaks Boulevard after she attempted to cash one of the victim’s checks.

“All the (VCCU) branches received the information about the situation, so the staff knew to act when she showed up to the counter,” Sliva said.

Credit union officials declined to comment on the case.

Although the alleged victim is a resident of Los Angeles County, the case is being handled in Ventura County court because the arrest was made in Thousand Oaks.

During her Aug. 23 arraignment, Zbinden pleaded not guilty to forgery, identity theft and forgery by a caretaker of an elder or dependent adult, all felonies, court records show. She is out on $50,000 bail.

Kathleen O’Brien, a Ventura County senior deputy district attorney, said that if Zbinden is convicted as charged she could face up to four years in jail. Before realignment, Zbinden would have been required to serve her sentence in state prison.

“After California realignment was passed (in 2011) people convicted of this crime cannot be sentenced to (state prison) but rather must serve their time locally in Ventura County Jail,” O’Brien said.

Zbinden is due back in court Oct. 9 for an early disposition conference.

“I’m hoping that they come up with a lot of restitution so that we can give some money back to this elderly lady,” O’Brien said.

Bruce Kaufman, Zbinden’s hired defense lawyer, declined to comment.



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