STORY COUNTY, Iowa — A former nursing home employee is facing multiple felonies for stealing nearly $28,000 from multiple residents under her care, the Story County Sheriff's Office said on Monday.
Court documents claim Bambi Ann Cerka, 44, stole thousands from four residents between June 2022 and August 2023 while working at Zearing Health Care Center in Zearing, Iowa.
Cerka allegedly created personal bank accounts and redirected IPERS and Social Security deposits from one of the residents to herself, resulting in a loss of approximately $23,500 to the resident.
The irregularities in the resident's account were discovered when the resident sold his home in August 2023. The resident's bank flagged the strange charges, leading to the discovery that Cerka had "access to residents' personal information as part of her job duties" and had used them improperly.
She also used three other residents' accounts to complete unauthorized transactions. She spent around $4,500 in total, court documents claim.
Cerka was placed on leave when the irregularities became known.
She faces the following charges:
- Theft in the First Degree Against Older Individual (Class B felony)
- Theft in the Second Degree (Class D Felony)
- Theft in the Third Degree (Aggravated misdemeanor)(two counts)(two counts)
- Dependent Adult Abuse (Class D Felony) (three counts)
- Dependent Adult Abuse (Simple misdemeanor)
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