Chase Purdy reports:
Polk County deputies arrested a Winter Haven nurse Tuesday on charges she swindled money and identification information from more than 30 elderly patients.
Cathy “Pumpkin” McClain was charged with grand larceny, ID theft and scheming to defraud several patients at Brandywyne Healthcare Center, a nursing home in Winter Haven. Authorities said McClain used her position and access to patient files to collect people’s personal information and send it by text message to Derail Bess, 30, of Davenport.
Bess, who has been in and out of jail since 2005, would use the information to obtain tax returns in the victims’ names and then Turbo Tax debit cards, an arrest affidavit states. During a search of his home at 642 Brookshire Drive, deputies found a stack of those debit cards in Bess’ bedroom. Deputies arrested him Aug. 16.
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Tamara Hill of WTSP reports that Bess was found in possession of 83 patients’ information at the time of his arrest.