Former Nursing Home Employee Charged With Theft

A former employee of a Waukesha nursing home is facing charges after she allegedly stole checks from a resident so she could support her heroin habit.

Nicole E. LaFratta, 35, of Wales, was charged in Monday with three counts of identity theft from an elderly person for financial gain and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. If convicted, she faces up to 18 years in prison and $30,500 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint:

On May 3, Waukesha police officers were called to Virginia Nursing Home, 1451 Cleveland Drive, after an 82-year-old woman living there noticed three checks were missing from her checkbook. A social worker told police LaFratta was an employee of the facility and was suspected of taking the checks.

Officers found one check was cashed for $160 on April 18, and the two others were cashed for $200 each on April 20 and 27. All three of the checks were made payable to LaFratta.

LaFratta came to the facility on May 9 to pick up her last paycheck, but officers were there and searched her car where they found paraphernalia common with heroin use. She told officers she had a hysterectomy in 2009 and became addicted to pain pills, switched to heroin and now has a $50 per day habit.

LaFratta first told officers the victim wrote the checks out to her after asking to borrow money, but later admitted to lying.

LaFratta will make her initial appearance in court July 30.