Former caregiver indicted in $86,000 theft
By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer
The former caregiver of a 91-year-old Hawai'i Kai man who died in March was indicted by an O'ahu grand jury yesterday, accused of stealing $86,000 from him.
Rondallyn Brandt, 49, is charged with one count of first-degree theft and one count of money laundering after she abused her power of attorney as caretaker for Henry S. Battin of Hawai'i Kai, according to police and an indictment returned yesterday. Battin passed away in March from natural causes, police said.
From July 2003 until November 2004, Brandt allegedly used Battin's money to pay off credit card debt and take vacations to the Mainland.
In one instance, authorities say, she transferred $50,000 of Battin's money into her personal account and disguised it by hiding Battin's bank statements from him.
A warrant has been issued for Brandt's arrest.
Brandt's alleged thefts were discovered in 2004 when she left for a vacation and instructed a substitute caregiver to not show Battin his bank statements. The substitute caregiver alerted Battin, who ordered statements from the bank.
Deputy city prosecutor Marvin Rampey, who is handling the case, declined comment yesterday.
Cases of elderly people who fall prey to fraud are underreported in Hawai'i, authorities have said.
The Adult Protective Services, the agency charged with investigating suspected abuse of dependent adults, investigated 55 cases last year involving alleged financial exploitation of people 60 or older, according to agency data.
That number covers only cases involving dependent adults, those with physical or mental impairments who depend on others for their health, safety or welfare.
Brandt's is the second O'ahu Circuit Court case this year in which someone is accused of stealing more than $10,000 from an elderly person.
Timothy Janusz, a former Salvation Army official, pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges that he bilked three Hawai'i residents of about $141,000 and received more than $10,000 from the charity based on bogus work-related mileage claims.
Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.
