A phone call from a Sarasota jewelry store owner in July set off a chain of events that ended with two arrests in an elder exploitation case. According to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, the owner of A & Z Jewelers contacted deputies after two customers made jewelry purchases totaling more than $40,000 in a short period. When the pair returned and could not provide identification, detectives identified them as Reinier Reinoso and Suyeng Daniels-Lopez. Both now face charges of exploitation of an elderly person, grand theft from a person 65 or older, and criminal use of personal identifiable information.
Investigators say the credit card used in those purchases belonged to a Sarasota man who died in March. He and his wife had been living in an assisted living facility, and Daniels-Lopez had been assigned to care for the couple from December 2025 until her employment ended in June. Authorities say the couple’s credit card was used in more than 550 transactions between June 2 and Aug. 25, totaling $240,272.85, while 21 payments totaling $361,938.23 were made from the victims’ bank accounts to the credit card company.
Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman said in a statement that elderly residents deserve to feel safe, especially when they place their trust in those responsible for their care, and that taking advantage of that trust for personal financial gain is unacceptable. The case is a reminder for families across the Suncoast to stay involved in aging relatives’ finances and to speak up when something looks wrong. Have you ever caught a suspicious charge on an elderly loved one’s account? Tell us how you handled it in the comments.
