Mother, daughter caretakers sentenced for stealing over $500k from elderly patient

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Two women who were hired as caretakers in Fort Myers, Florida, for an elderly person have been sentenced to time in federal prison for stealing more than a half-million dollars from a former patient, officials say.

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In a news release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office Middle District of Florida said that Diane Durbon, 58, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Her daughter, Brittany Lukasik, was sentenced to two years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and filing a false tax return. The court also ordered that both women forfeit their house in Cape Coral, two vehicles, and about $542,760.23.

Durbon and Lukasik both pleaded guilty on March 7, 2023, according to prosecutors.

According to court documents obtained by The Associated Press, Durbon and Lukasick were hired as caretakers for a 92-year-old victim in 2016. In October 2017, Durbon had started accessing the victim’s investment accounts and had the victim answer security questions on the phone. Durbon began moving money and writing checks to her daughter before she was given authorization.

Lukasik received over $231,000 in checks between November 2017 and July 2019, prosecutors said.

Durbon in November 2018 began gaining access to the victim’s annuity policy, investigators said, according to the AP. The annuity policy amount of $244,000 was put into the victim’s checking account in January 2019 and over the next year, about 92 checks were issued for over $372,000.

Prosecutors said that between January 2019 and March 2020, over $542,000 were deposited into Lukasik’s accounts. Once they were deposited, both women used the money to pay off debt and make multiple purchases includes for a car, a car loan, student loan debt, and credit card payments. It was also used to buy a duplex in Cape Coral and for other items including electronics and furniture.