The self-proclaimed ‘Liberal Sherpa’ who as soon as was an everyday visitor on Fox Information stole a minimum of $224,000 from her 88-year-old mom and bodily dragged the aged lady to a nursing house in opposition to her will, Florida authorities mentioned on Friday.
Cathy Areu, 51, faces quite a few felony costs together with kidnapping, exploitation of the aged and arranged scheme to defraud. She is being held with out bond in Miami-Dade county jail.
Areu beforehand appeared as an unpaid visitor on a variety of Fox Information reveals till 2020, when she filed a sexual harassment lawsuit naming hosts Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson — a declare that was later dismissed by a choose.
Miami-Dade County prosecutors say she falsified paperwork to take management of her mom’s house, siphoned cash from her mom’s reverse mortgage and financial savings account, and took out bank cards in her mom’s identify after which used them for her personal profit.
Cathy Areu, 51, is seen following her Friday arrest in Miami on quite a few felony costs together with kidnapping, exploitation of the aged and arranged scheme to defraud
‘Each incident of alleged elder exploitation or abuse touches our coronary heart and by no means fails to shock us,’ Miami-Dade State Lawyer Katherine Fernandez Rundle mentioned in a press release.
‘It appears notably more durable to know when the alleged perpetrator of the exploitation is a daughter, or a son or one other blood relative,’ added Rundle.
In keeping with Areu’s Fox Information profile, which has since been deleted, she is a former contributing editor for the Washington Put up Journal, the place she performed political interviews from 2001 to 2012, and in 2001 based the journal Catalina.
Areu’s 88-year-old mom is seen above
Her journal sought to ‘break stereotypes and present a constructive facet of the US Hispanic group,’ the bio said.
Areu, also referred to as Cathy Areu Jones, additionally hosted the ‘Liberal Sherpa’ podcast. Fox took down Areu’s profile after her arrest turned extensively identified.
In 2018, Areu was an everyday unpaid visitor on conservative commentator Carlson’s present and appeared on different Fox Information reveals, the place she defended progressive beliefs in banter with the hosts and different company.
In 2020, she sued the community, Carlson, Hannity and others, claiming sexual harassment, however a choose dismissed the swimsuit the next yr.
The self-proclaimed ‘Liberal Sherpa’ was as soon as an everyday unpaid visitor on Fox Information
Particulars of Areu’s arrest weren’t launched, however prosecutors mentioned she had been evading authorities since June, together with spending time in Mexico. She was being held with out bond Friday on the county jail.
Courtroom and jail data don’t present if she has an lawyer to talk on her behalf.
In keeping with prosecutors, the investigation started in 2019 when state officers obtained reviews that Areu was exploiting her mom.
Paperwork had been filed turning over the mom’s home to Areu, however the mom denied the signature was hers.
They are saying Areu additionally used a revoked energy of lawyer to twice place her mom in a nursing house in opposition to her will.
Areu is seen on Tucker Carlson’s present in 2018. She didn’t seem on the community after submitting a lawsuit in 2020 claiming sexual harassment, which was later tossed out by a choose
Within the first case, they are saying Areu tricked her mom into believing she was being taken to have ice cream together with her granddaughters, however was as a substitute taken to a house.
When the mom tried to name a good friend for assist, Space allegedly instructed the workers to not let her use the cellphone or see guests.
After docs and officers discovered the lady competent to make her personal choices and launched her to go house, prosecutors say Areu and one other particular person bodily dragged her from her home and took her to a different facility.
Once more, the lady was launched after she was discovered competent and requested to go house.
Authorities say the investigation continues.
