BOCA RATON, Fla. – A home health-care nurse is accused of stealing more than $10,000 worth of jewelry from an elderly woman for whom she works, deputies said.
Marie Subtyl, 47, of Boynton Beach, was arrested Friday on charges of grand theft, dealing in stolen property and false verification of ownership.
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According to a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office report, an 84-year-old Boca Raton woman's daughter noticed some of her mother's jewelry missing when she visited from New York in September, so the daughter set up a surveillance camera pointed at the armoire where her mother keeps jewelry.
The daughter told deputies that she watched on her cellphone Dec. 17 as Subtyl opened the armoire and hid a piece of jewelry in her pocket. She immediately called her mother, who opened her jewelry box and discovered that her gold ring was missing.
Deputies said Subtyl helped the woman search the home for the ring, then returned to the master bedroom and placed the ring back in the box.
The woman later searched the jewelry box again and found the ring.
When the woman's daughter called Subtyl to confront her about the ring, Subtyl admitted to the theft and said she had stolen other jewelry, including a $5,000 gold watch, deputies said.
Subtyl claimed she was being blackmailed and owed the Internal Revenue Service money.
Deputies believe Subtyl stole six pieces of jewelry and a watch from the woman's jewelry box.
A search of Florida pawn shop records showed that Subtyl made eight transactions between Sept. 17 and Nov. 21, receiving $3,615 from selling the jewelry, deputies said.