Caretaker couple accused of spending $68,000 of disabled veteran's money

BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. — A Bartow County couple are accused of stealing $68,000 from a disabled veteran. The two now face 133 counts of fraud.

Deputies told Channel 2’s Rikki Klaus they are worried there could be other potential victims.

The case involves several group home residents. The Bartow County Sheriff's Office wants their families to double check their bank statements.

Caregivers Stacey and Leonardo Yarbrough are each facing more than 130 fraud charges.

Bartow deputies said they spent $68,000 out of a disabled veteran's bank account. Investigators said the husband and wife were his designated caregivers.

"They were supposed to be running a group home," said Thelma Fountain. "I can't even comprehend the things that they did."

Fountain told Klaus her 48-year-old brother, David Apple, is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

She said the Yarbroughs moved Apple out of their Cartersville basement and into an apartment last year on Paige Street, barely looking after him.

"There was a fire there, and they took him to a hotel, and they just left him there," Fountain said.

Fountain said she picked her brother up and moved him back to Ringgold. That’s when she told Klaus she discovered discrepancies in his bank statements.

"I saw that very large amounts of money were gone," Fountain said.

Investigators said while Apple was in the Yarbrough's care, from May to August of 2015, the couple spent his money freely on a diamond ring, repairs to their Mercedes and new tires.

"And to top it off, they actually took a trip to Florida," Fountain said.

Klaus tried to get comment from the Yarbroughs at their house. They refused and sped off.

Deputies said two other residents stayed in the group home with Apple. Fountain urged family members of anyone in a similar setting to be skeptical.

"You can't depend on hospitals and state agencies. You have to investigate yourself," Fountain said.

Fountain said the VA is now caring for her brother very well. She said he's back on his medications and improving.

As for the Yarbroughs, they recently bonded out of jail. This case will go to Superior Court.

Cox Media Group