Forged Checks. Cash Withdrawals At Hard Rock Casino. Surveillance Video. Busted.
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2025 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A home healthcare aide working for an elderly man in Boca Raton allegedly stole his checks, forged the checks, withdrew thousands of dollars, and tried to launder money through Amazon. Solid police work by Detective Randa White (who we wrote about here), led to the arrest of Manuela Leonard.
According to a police report reviewed by BocaNewsNow.com, an out-of-state family member of the the 94-year-old victim realized that money was missing from a bank account. With the help of a local family friend, the missing money was traced back to several checks that should have been in a checkbook in the elderly man’s home — but weren’t. With the help of employees at a local Chase bank, the family learned that their loved one’s checks had been forged, cashed, and that additional cash had been withdrawn at Hard Rock Casino. Chase opened a new account and delivered new checks to the victim. Within weeks, a check from the new account was taken, forged, and cashed.
That led police to a narrow list of suspects which became even narrower once the owner of Althea Nursing Services of Boynton Beach was questioned. She provided information that led Boca Raton Police to Manuela Leonard — a home healthcare aide often assigned to work with the victim. Video surveillance, phone records, and other investigative work led police to believe Manuela Leonard was behind the thefts.
Leonard was arrested by Detective White and is now charged with “exploitation of elderly person,” “grand theft,” and “forgery.” Leonard, who lives on Village Boulevard in West Palm Beach, remains in the Palm Beach County Jail on Thursday. She is being held on $20,000 bond.
