By Erin Sullivan, Times Staff Writer
Friday, December 9, 2011
HOLIDAY — In February, Amna Ahmovic was accused of stealing $1,403 from an 88-year-old patient at the assisted living facility where she worked as an administrator. Ahmovic, of Port Richey, allegedly spent the victim's money at Rent-A-Center, DriveTime Credit Corp., Verizon Wireless and Match.com.
After her arrest, Ahmovic admitted "she took advantage of the victim," a Pasco County Sheriff's Office report states.
Ahmovic, 35, had no criminal record, and because this was a third-degree nonviolent felony charge, she got a good deal:
Pretrial intervention.
This means if she did everything asked of her — restitution, fines, following her probation rules — and the victim agreed to the terms, Ahmovic would eventually be able to get the case dismissed. It would be as if it never happened.
And then came Thursday.
Ahmovic was back in jail again, this time accused of stealing from another resident at Sunshine Christian Homes in Holiday, where she worked as the assistant director up until the first arrest. Now she is accused of forging an 89-year-old patient's signature and stealing $13,900 from the woman's account between January 2009 and February 2011. Ahmovic told investigators she used the money to pay her personal bills, authorities said. The victim suffers from dementia, a sheriff's report states.
Ahmovic was charged with exploitation of the elderly. She was released Thursday from the Pasco jail on $5,000 bail.
She declined to comment when reached by phone Friday.
Officials at Sunshine Christian Homes also declined to comment Friday. The facility's record has been mostly clear, according to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. The 108-bed assisted living facility was cited in July for workers not using hand sanitizer enough and for allowing patients to have medications prescribed to be used "as needed," which isn't allowed.
The complaints were corrected by the time of the agency's next inspection in August.
Because of this new arrest, Ahmovic has been booted out of the pre-trial intervention program and the first case will be put back on the court calendar.
She will "start from square one," said Assistant State Attorney Mike Halkitis.
Erin Sullivan can be reached at esullivan@sptimes.com or (727) 869-6229.