Ex-nursing aide to John's Island couple sentenced to prison in thefts exceeding $400,000
VERO BEACH — The second former certified nursing assistant charged in 2018 with stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from a couple on John's Island will serve six years in prison, a judge ordered Thursday, according to a prosecutor.
The sentence follows a June hearing in which Sophia Monae Shephard, 36, of the 1500 block of 18th Avenue Southwest, in Indian River County, pleaded no contest to exploiting of an elderly adult of $50,000 or more, and scheming to defraud a financial institution, court records show.
Shephard, who had faced a maximum prison term of 45 years, also was ordered to pay more than $170,000 in restitution.
She was arrested along with her sister, Chiquita McGee, 34, who in March 2022 was ordered to spend 12 years behind bars after she pleaded no contest to the same charges. McGee is scheduled to be released in 2033, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.
Arrest records show Shepherd and McGee, who were both hired to help care for the senior couple, racked up more than $400,000 in charges on credit cards between February and November 2017.
The charges, records show, included fees for cosmetic dental work and plastic surgery, hotels, cruises, computers, jewelry, clothing, pawn stores, and even an engine for one of their cars. Overall, police estimated the fraud committed by McGee and Shepherd added up to more than $543,000.
After court, Assistant State Attorney William Long said the state offered Shephard a plea deal after speaking with the victims’ family members who urged him to resolve the case. As part of the deal, Long said the state agreed not to seek more than eight years in prison.
“Today, we went into court and I asked for eight years, the defense ask for less,” Long said. “Ultimately, Judge (Robert) Meadows sentenced (Shephard) to 72 months in prison, so, six years.”
James T. Long, Shephard’s court-appointed lawyer, could not be reached for comment.
Theft investigation
In April and May 2017, the siblings convinced the couple to open credit cards under McGee's and Shephard’s names, linked to the victims' accounts, with an unlimited credit line, according to an investigation conducted by the Indian River Shores Public Safety Department.
The thefts were revealed in November 2018 after the couple’s family hired an accountant to help track expenses, Assistant State Attorney Lev Evans said during McGee’s 2022 sentencing hearing.
When checking the couple’s online accounts, the accountant discovered passwords had been changed, which further piqued suspicion.
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According to arrest records, at the time the thefts were discovered, Shephard had been working for the couple for two years and McGee had cared for them for about a year.
At the time, the couple had been diagnosed with dementia and “cognitive impairment,” detectives reported.
The husband died a few months after the thefts were discovered, prosecutors have said, and the wife is being cared for at an assisted living facility.
The couple’s daughter who lives out of state testified Thursday via Zoom, Long said, to describe how the thefts impacted her parents and “voiced her desire for justice for her family.”
“She said Sophia Shepherd was brought in to care for her parents at the end of their lives in their weakest moment. And that in their weakest moment, she preyed upon them,” Long said. “I referred to Sophia Shepard as using the (couple) as an ATM, as opposed to the patients she was supposed to be caring for.”
Melissa E. Holsman is the legal affairs reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers and is writer and co-host of "Uncertain Terms," a true-crime podcast. Reach her at melissa.holsman@tcpalm.com. If you are a subscriber, thank you. If not, become a subscriber to get the latest local news on the Treasure Coast.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Second nursing aide hired for John's Island couple sentenced to prison
