Louisiana Woman Pleads Guilty To Scamming Natchez Elderly

Jackson, Miss. (PRESS RELEASE) – Nicole Mata, 30, of Ridgecrest, Louisiana, pleaded guilty today to forgery and theft from a senior citizen in her care, announced Attorney General Jim Hood today.

Mata appeared before Judge Forrest A. Johnson in Adams County Circuit Court.

She pleaded guilty to one count of “uttering a forgery” and one count of Grand Larceny.

Judge Johnson sentenced Mata to serve five years in custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, three years suspended with two years to serve and three years of post-release supervision.

She was also ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution to the victim.

“We appreciate Judge Johnson’s sentence,” Attorney General Hood said. “Hopefully, it will deter others from taking advantage of Mississippians who are part of our Greatest Generation.”

The Attorney General’s investigation showed that Mata, while serving as a domestic helper for a Natchez senior citizen, forged a check on the senior citizen’s account and stole some of the victim’s jewelry.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Stan Alexander and investigated by Russell Frazier of the Attorney General’s Vulnerable Adults Unit.