State College man accused of stealing more than $500,000 from nursing home residents
A State College man faces numerous felony charges after police say he confessed to stealing more than $500,000 from local nursing home residents.
Most of the thefts occurred while Ignacio Pearsall, 31, was employed as a nurse’s aide at Juniper Village at Brookline, where family members of residents discovered checks missing from rooms and fraudulent checks being passed, according to court documents.
The first instance of stolen checks from the State College nursing home was reported to police in early July 2020, when the son of a deceased resident discovered forged checks from his father’s account in the amount of $80,000 and $105,000. The second check was issued while his father was in a coma, according to police.
Through September 2020, police investigated reports of five other nursing home residents who had checks stolen. Amounts ranged from $30,000-$120,000.
State College police also received a report in December 2019 from a woman who said one of her checks was stolen and forged in the amount of $15,000, though the check was stopped when a man attempted to cash it in Charlotte, North Carolina. At the time the check was stolen, Pearsall was the primary caregiver for the woman’s husband while employed with BrightStar Care.
When interviewed by police, Pearsall confessed to stealing checks from seven people while employed by BrightStar Care and Juniper Village. While he told police he feels “horrible” about his actions, he said that he was also scammed. According to a criminal complaint, he told police that after he stole the checks, he sent them to a person in Georgia and was supposed to get half of the money from his accomplices once the checks were cashed. He never received any money.
In a statement, a Juniper Village spokesperson wrote that the company was notified of the fraud investigation in summer 2020 and cooperated with State College police. Pearsall was terminated.
“Juniper was directed by law enforcement officials not to release any information about the situation, as it was an ongoing investigation,” the spokesperson wrote. “At Juniper, the safety of our residents and associates is a top priority. Juniper requires individuals to undergo and pass a criminal background check prior to hire.”
Pearsall was charged with nine felony counts of forgery and 18 felony counts of theft, along with misdemeanor charges of theft, receiving stolen property and identify theft. He was arraigned Friday and released on $50,000 unsecured bail.
A preliminary hearing is set for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 11.
