Cover photo: Julie Capone is installed at the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County for her work in protecting elders against abuse and neglect.
By Emma Federkeil, Communications Director
Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office
District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala, Jr. and the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office remain dedicated to protecting seniors from fraud and abuse. In August, Special Elder Abuse Assistant District Attorney Julie Capone and Senior Justice Advocate Cyndie Carioli visited a training session for the Pennsylvania Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging’s SeniorLine employees to speak about the numerous types of fraud and how to help others from becoming a scam victim.
“The job of the District Attorney’s Office is to pursue justice for criminals, but more importantly, the victims,” Capone commented.
Capone has served as a prosecutor for more than two decades in Allegheny County and was the first to be appointed to DA Zappala’s Elder Abuse Special Victim’s Unit. Her passion for helping older adults first began while working part time at a nursing home in high school and has continued to follow her throughout her law career today.
“For over 20 years, I have had the honor and responsibility of prosecuting the most serious cases involving seniors—whether it be physical, financial, emotional or sexual abuse,” Capone added.
Capone says that the most common reasons why seniors fail to report that they have become a victim is because they are embarrassed or afraid that others will not believe them. “SeniorLine is often an individual’s first step when they feel they have been wronged. SeniorLine staff’s knowledge, understanding and kindness are imperative to ensuring that seniors are connected to the right resources, guiding them to the justice they deserve.”
In many senior abuse cases, the abusers are often personal caretakers who take advantage of the vulnerability of the individual. “It’s more a crime of opportunity. Many people don’t start out planning to abuse their care-dependent patients or clients, but it happens all the time. One day, it’s borrowing a few bucks for lunch, and before you know it, it’s a few hundred, a few thousand.”
The training session adjourned after a presentation from Phil Little, Outreach Specialist for the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, which included helpful tips and best practices to safeguard personal information. Simple efforts such as shredding mail with names and addresses, carrying fewer credit or debit cards in person, and asking questions if caught on a suspicious phone call can help prevent potential identity theft.
Both Capone and Little agreed that the best path to prevention is through education such as openly discussing personal scam experiences. “It’s important for people to hear the stories that happen to other people because it makes us think and be more cautious,” Little said.
“If we continue working together, we can hopefully stop these things from happening,” Capone added.
To request a presentation from an Allegheny County District Attorney Senior Justice Advocate at your organization or facility, call Cyndie Carioli at (412)-983-0729 or Joe Giuffre at (412)-427-3770.
