Brown
A Riviera Beach man was arrested Thursday afternoon for neglecting an elderly person and taking about $15,000 from the victim, according to the Riviera Police Department.
Fred Brown, 63, is facing charges of exploitation of a disabled elderly person and neglect of an elderly person. He is being held on $5,000 bail.
» Download our PostNOW app to get the latest Breaking News
Brown has lived with the 89-year-old, whom the state says suffers from dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and hypertension, for 16 years in a Riviera Beach home, south of Silver Beach Road near President Barack Obama Highway. He’s been trusted to take care of all of her personal and medical needs. One day, a nurse who was helping Brown watch the woman found her alone, lying on the bedroom floor and bleeding from her forehead. An investigation by the Florida Department of Children and Families found that Brown had been neglecting the woman for some time.
The investigation also found that Brown had been tapping into the woman’s bank accounts and had signed her home over to himself. He told detectives that he used the money to pay for utilities and food, but also admitted to buying things for his business and personal use. He took out a second mortgage out on the home and was paying it back using the victim’s money.
Brown does not have any previous felonies in Palm Beach County, court records reveal.
