Waitress Indicted For Stealing Hundreds Of Thousands of Dollars From Elderly Customer
FLATLANDS – Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced today that a Flatlands waitress has been indicted on grand larceny, identity theft, and other charges for allegedly stealing nearly $500,000 from an elderly customer of a diner where the defendant worked.
According to the indictment, between June 2012 and December 2016, 46-year-old Alicia Legall stole approximately $470,000 from a now 84-year-old widow whom Legall befriended in 2002 while working as a waitress at a diner that the victim regularly visited. Over the years, Legall gained the victim’s trust as well as access to her personal information, including her address, social security number, date of birth, and bank and credit card information.
The victim allegedly gave Legall permission to use her credit cards for small purchases at local drug stores and supermarkets, but Legall reportedly took advantage and stole more than $200,000 by cashing 75 forged checks made out to herself from the victim’s bank account.
The indictment also states from March 2013 through April 2016, Legall allegedly stole more than $277,000 from the victim by making unauthorized charges using the woman’s credit cards, including $73,399 in cash advances and $204,390 in purchases from various vendors including Apple, JetBlue, Victoria’s Secret, Belmont Racetrack, Harrah’s in Atlantic City, New York Racing Authority restaurants and bars, and various restaurants, hotels, and clubs in Miami.
Legall also allegedly stole the victim’s identity by opening additional lines of credit and creating online profiles with gambling sites using the victim’s credit card, social security number, date of birth, and address, but using her own contact information.
Legall was arraigned on Tuesday at Brooklyn Supreme Court on charges of second-degree grand larceny, second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, and first-degree identity theft. Legall faces up to five to 15 years in prison. She is being held on $2.5 million bail and is scheduled to return to court on December 6.
“This defendant allegedly took advantage of an elderly and vulnerable widow,” Acting District Attorney Gonzalez said in a statement. “She spent many years gaining the victim’s trust only to betray it. We will now seek to hold her accountable for this serious offense.”
