Lourdes L. Gómez Torres, Secretary of the Department of Justice in Puerto Rico, announced on 2025-08-25 that the Economic Crimes Division filed over 300 criminal charges against Mariela Collazo Rodríguez for stealing over $61,000 from a 94-year-old woman. ^[1] Mariela Collazo Rodríguez, a 47-year-old woman, stole over $61,000 from a 94-year-old neighbor by using her debit card without authorization. ^[2] Judge Irmarie Colón Massó of the First Instance Court of Caguas determined probable cause for arrest and set bail at $321,000, which was posted by the accused. ^[3] Teresita del Rosario Morales Arteaga, a prosecutor in the Economic Crimes Division, presented charges including one for mistreatment of the elderly, one for aggravated illegal appropriation, one for fraud, 159 for aggravated illegal identity theft, and 159 for illegal use or possession of credit and debit cards. ^[4] The investigation determined that Mariela Collazo Rodríguez, who lived with the 94-year-old victim, gained access to the victim's secret debit card number through a relationship of trust. ^[5] Fiscal Teresita del Rosario Morales Arteaga presented charges including one for mistreatment of the elderly, one for aggravated illegal appropriation, one for fraud, 159 for illegal identity appropriation, and 159 for illegal use or possession of credit and debit cards. ^[6] Lourdes L. Gómez Torres, the US Attorney for Puerto Rico, stated that the suspect was the victim's neighbor who gained access to her debit card information through a relationship of trust. ^[7] Of the stolen funds, approximately $44,000 was withdrawn from ATMs and $13,000 was used to pay for goods and services in various municipalities of Puerto Rico. ^[8] Mariela Collazo Rodríguez, a neighbor of the victim, gained unauthorized access to the victim's secret debit card number through a relationship of trust. ^[9] Mariela Collazo Rodríguez admitted to the acts during an investigation by Banco Popular and promised to return the money, but she never fulfilled this promise. ^[10] Prosecutor Teresita del Rosario Morales Arteaga stated that Collazo Rodríguez accessed the victim's secret debit card number and executed 319 unauthorized transactions between May and August 2025. ^[11] The charges are based on a total amount exceeding $61,000, specifically $61,151.84, which the investigation attributed to Collazo Rodríguez. ^[12]