A Cathedral City man who allegedly took more than $250,000 from his grandparents, then hid the couple in a nursing home across the border, must stand trial on 21 counts of embezzlement of an elderly adult, a judge ruled Friday.
Luis Carlos Fernandez, 42, is accused of taking close to $268,000 from his 82-year-old grandfather and 86-year-old grandmother, the bulk of which was funneled into an account for “Yes Home Care,” a company that does not exist, according to prosecutors.
Fernandez allegedly had his grandparents paying bills to Yes Home Care from October 2016 to March 2017 and used the money to pay off car loans, bills and also spent money on retail shopping and entertainment, an arrest warrant declaration states.
The checks his grandparents paid to Yes Home Care were actually sent to Fernandez’s post office box, according to the declaration, which also states that he was granted his grandparents’ power of attorney in March 2017.
He allegedly fled the country last summer with the victims, who authorities found in a Mexican nursing home, according to the declaration.
Fernandez was charged last December. He remains free on $268,000 bail — the amount he’s alleged to have stolen — and is slated to return to court Oct. 5 for post-preliminary hearing arraignment.