A heartless home aide is accused of preying on an elderly widow - turning her Queens apartment into a flophouse and plundering $800,000 to bankroll shopping sprees.
The 85-year-old victim, who is practically bedridden, said her savings were stolen right under her nose by a woman she trusted for seven years.
"She robbed me," Renee Fuld told the Daily News yesterday. "The only thing I could figure out is I gave her money to buy things and she kept it. I'm just sorry I didn't see her taking money. She would lie to me with a straight face."
Fuld said the aide, Jackie Pokuwaah, turned the Forest Hills apartment into a virtual boarding house, moving in at least seven friends and relatives - rent-free.
"I don't know how they all fit in here," the octogenarian said.
Pokuwaah, 52, is now locked up on charges of grand larceny and stolen property for the check-writing scheme, which went on for almost three years.
The fleecing ended when Pokuwaah's twice-weekly visits to a TD Bank - often carrying $800 checks with "laundry" written on the memo line - raised red flags with employees, officials said.
"Thank God for the bank," said Fuld, who is in the care of a new aide. "If they hadn't noticed the activity, she would still be roaming around here."
After Pokuwaah's arrest earlier this month, Fuld found $4,000 in bills for jewelry and clothing from Bloomingdale's and Neiman Marcus hidden in the apartment.
Fuld, who has no kids, has limited use of her hands and trouble hearing. When she is able to get out of bed, she needs a wheelchair to get around her cluttered apartment.
A psychiatric exam found the victim is cognitively impaired and "presents the opportunity for exploitation," according to court papers. The criminal complaint says she "did not understand why her bank account balance was decreasing and did not give the defendant permission and authority to take approximately $791,054."
Fuld, whose husband died about five years ago, told The News she relied on Pokuwaah to handle her banking.
She would write out checks with notations for food or laundry on the memo line, and Pokuwaah would tell her how much money was needed, the complaint charges.
The aide often told her she lost a check and needed a replacement to pay bills, Fuld said.
Pokuwaah - who appeared to have a spotty credit history - took home weekly salary checks of $1,561 - or $81,000 annually, according to the complaint.
"I can't believe she did this to me," Fuld said. "Why would she steal from me? I didn't pay her a pittance."
The aide was held at Rikers Island in lieu of a $25,000 bond and is expected back in court Tuesday. She faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Her lawyer, Henry Forman, refused to discuss the case.
Fuld said she doesn't know how much money she has left or whether she will get any of it back. Mostly, she feels betrayed.
"I'm just sorry I didn't see her taken away," she said.
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