Mary Louise Gonzalez, age 57, was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for stealing and pawning her patients’ valuables. Gonzalez also forged and cashed a check stolen from a patient’s home.
In December 2016, Gonzalez pleaded guilty to Trafficking in Stolen Property and Forgery. Gonzalez was a home health caregiver for a company that receives funding from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). While working, Gonzalez stole and sometimes pawned patients jewelry, coins, and other valuables. A total of $29,680 was stolen from at least five patients.
Gonzalez will be placed on probation for 2.5 years after she is released from prison.
The Paradise Valley Police Department and the Arizona Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud and Abuse Section investigated this case.