Hospice caretaker arrested for allegedly stealing patients' debit cards and cash to pay for mother's dental implants
Tyrone Alsteen leaned forward in a wooden chair inside the Spokane County Courthouse to watch as his girlfriend, Leena Anderson, made her first appearance via Zoom.
Anderson, a 41-year-old former hospice caretaker, allegedly used her position at an unspecified hospice facility to steal cash and debit cards from dying residents and their visiting family members.
She's accused of using at least three people's cards to buy lottery tickets at multiple stores and gas stations in Spokane, which she then redeemed for cash.
Alsteen nodded along as Commissioner Nichole Swennumson read the charges filed against his girlfriend of four years: three counts of second-degree possession of stolen property, three counts of money laundering and three counts of identity theft in the third degree.
When the hearing concluded, Alsteen rose, gave a two-finger salute in the direction of the screen displaying his partner, and then walked out of the courtroom.
"She really is a decent person," Alsteen said. "She was stuck in a bind."
Alsteen said this situation started because Anderson's elderly mother needed a cosigner in order to get expensive dental implants. Alsteen said Anderson always made good money, but not nearly enough for what her mother needed. He also cited hefty child support payments for her 17-year-old and 18-year-old who no longer live in her house and a nosediving credit score.
"It's not like she was joyriding to reap the rewards," Alsteen said.
According to a press release from Spokane Police, the hospice facility identified her as a suspect in the three cases as she was the sole employee working during the time frame of the thefts. Police believe there may be more victims who have not yet come forward since Anderson took the job at the hospice facility towards the end of January this year.
One of the victims, Richard Smith, who died in the final days of March, had $189 in cash stolen from his room, along with his STCU debit card, sometime between March 15 and 16. When his lawyer checked his account, she found numerous WA Lottery charges that added up to $678, according to an affidavit obtained by The Spokesman-Review.
Another victim and hospice patient, Florence Stromenger, had $84 drawn from her account the same day she died.
Alsteen said hospice patients used to always ask for Anderson specifically because she's "just that likeable." Despite how favored she may have been, Alsteen said his girlfriend always believed that people did not like her.
He said she does not deserve what has happened to her, but believes she is ready and willing to face the consequences of her actions.
As families mourn the loss of their elderly loved ones and deal with the money that was stolen from them, Alsteen maintains that his girlfriend loved not only her job, but the patients she served.
"She'd do it for free," he said. "If given the chance."
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