Angela Chisholm (PHOTO: Pamunkey Regional Jail)
ASHLAND, Va. — Police arrested a Hanover County woman accused of stealing more than $30,000 from a 71-year-old relative in her care.
Angela Chisholm, 51, is charged with six felonies, including grand larceny and embezzlement, according to Ashland Police.
“Investigators identified numerous suspicious transactions over the course of several months that were not related to the care of the victim, for whom Chisholm had power of attorney,” Ashland Police Department spokesman Officer Chip Watts said. “These transactions totaled over $30,000 in cash and credit charges.”
Chisholm, of the 13000 block of Cedar Lane, was arrested Tuesday and was held without bond at the Pamunkey Regional Jail.
Investigators said Chisholm opened credit cards in the victim’s name and stole money to buy jewelry and clothing for herself.
But, Chisholm’s husband, who wanted his identity hidden, said “the charges are ludicrous beyond reproach.”
Chisholm’s husband said the alleged victim is his aunt, and his wife is innocent.
CBS 6 investigative reporter Melissa Hipolit asked him if there was any truth to the allegations.
He said, “No, absolutely not.”
Hipolit then asked “how do you know?”
“I have seen jewelry, but they have all come from either her card or my card,” Chisholm’s husband said.
Chisholm’s husband said his aunt gave his wife power of attorney to handle her financial affiars and the two were close.
The Chisholm’s actually lived on the same property as the alleged victim before she recently moved.
“She made sure my aunt’s bills were being paid,” Chisholm’s husband said about his wife.
Yet, police said Chisholm took advantage of the aunt, until another family member came to them with proof that something was not right.
“An excessive of 30,000 dollars is something we don’t see very often,” Officer Chip Watts with the Ashland Police Department said.
Watts said it can be easy to financially exploit the elderly and many times people feel like they are entitled to the money they steal.
“They might come to the conclusion, it’s not your money versus my money, but now it’s our money,” Watts said.
But, Chisholm’s husband said that is not the case here, and this is all a misunderstanding among family members.
“It’s just ridiculous to let a family squabble blow up to where we’re at now,” Chisholm’s husband said.
