NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A former nurse pled guilty on Wednesday to stealing an elderly patient’s wallet and fraudulently charging her credit cards.
The patient was admitted to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in December 2022 and attended to by Jean. One day during the patient’s stay, Jean assisted her in getting up to leave her room and then stole her wallet from her purse while she was gone. Jean then proceeded to use the victim’s credit cards for multiple charges.
While she was still hospitalized, the victim checked her banking accounts and noticed Jean’s fraudulent charges. She also realized her wallet was missing and reported the theft to hospital staff. The hospital staff reviewed the surveillance footage and saw Jean stealing the victim’s wallet.
On Wednesday, Jean pled guilty to felony credit card larceny and misdemeanor credit card fraud. The Commonwealth withdrew additional credit card larceny and fraud charges at her preliminary hearing in exchange for Jean’s guilty pleas. Judge Jamilah D. LeCruise accepted Jean’s plea agreement, found her guilty and set her sentencing hearing on Feb. 14.
“Nurses are among the most trusted professionals in America, and Ms. Jean abused that trust in so shamelessly stealing from a hospitalized victim in her care,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “I commend the staff of Sentara Norfolk General Hospital for their quick action to uncover Ms. Jean’s crime and their cooperation with the police. I also commend the hospital for having a surveillance system in place that allowed for a quick arrest and for a conviction in this case. We will seek a sentence for Ms. Jean that reflects the blameworthiness of her actions.”