East Wenatchee woman arrested on 39 counts in adult care fraud investigation

EAST WENATCHEE — An employee working at Ambitions of Washington, a non-profit serving adults with developmental disabilities, was arrested on July 17 in East Wenatchee on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges.

The arrest follows a coordinated investigation by the East Wenatchee Police Department, Washington Department of Social and Health Services, and Washington Adult Protective Services, which began on April 21, after a program supervisor reported financial fraud concerns.

The 37-year-old East Wenatchee woman is accused of misusing approximately $20,000 in state benefits designated for her clients. Investigators allege she exploited the identities and resources of vulnerable adults for personal financial gain.

The 39 total charges she was booked into the Chelan County Regional Jail for include:

• 1 count of Theft from a Vulnerable Adult in the First Degree
• 7 counts of Theft from a Vulnerable Adult in the Second Degree
• 6 counts of Theft in the Third Degree
• 14 counts of Identity Theft in the First Degree
• 11 counts of Forgery

Ambitions of Washington has fully cooperated with the investigation and has implemented measures to support affected clients and enhance internal safeguards.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media