From staff reports
BIRMINGHAM — A warrant in Jefferson County was obtained by the sheriff’s department charging 70-year-old Opal Elaine Tillman, of Morris, with financial exploitation of the elderly last week. She was arrested and placed in the Jefferson County jail on Thursday, Nov. 5. She posted $30,000 bond and was released.
Jefferson County sheriff’s detectives began investigating a report in December 2014 that a house keeper had stolen several thousand dollars in cash and property form an elderly victim through undue influence over financial accounts.
Family members reported noticing several suspicious transactions on the victim’s checking accounts. The investigation revealed that Tillman started working as a housekeeper for the 87-year-old victim in 2011 on a part time basis. As the victim’s health declined her husband allowed Tillman to assume more responsibilities.
Family members told investigators that Tillman began to isolate the victim and her husband from them and became belligerent toward them. They began looking into their financial accounts and noticed several suspicious transactions on checking, savings and credit card statements. Among these were transactions that the victim would not have made as well as checks written to “cash” as well as to Tillman.
The family members also noticed several missing items from around the house. When they asked the victim’s husband about these he told them that Tillman had convinced him to let her sell the items and put the proceeds into their accounts. They could find no deposits made into the accounts for these missing items.
The value of the cash and property stolen exceeds $60,000.
Sheriff’s Office investigators believe that Tillman may have committed similar crimes in Jefferson County. Those suspecting that they may have been a victim are encouraged to call the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office at 205-325-1450