Former Office Manager at Nashville Assisted Living Facility Charged with Stealing from Bank Accounts of 2 Residents

The former office manager of Sapphire of Music City assisted living facility is jailed in lieu of $410,000 bond following her arrest Tuesday night in Maury County on multiple felony charges related to the theft of thousands of dollars from two elderly residents at Sapphire.

Katie Michelle Esparza, 36, of Columbia, worked at the facility from April 2023 to August of this year. Two residents of the facility, ages 72 and 75, both of whom are in memory care, gave control of their debit cards to Esparza for payment of monthly rent expenses. Esparza resigned after being asked by Sapphire's new director to provide an accounting of patient finances.

A subsequent audit and investigation by the MNPD's Fraud Unit showed that Esparza used the 75-year-old victim's debit card and banking information to initiate 35 Venmo money transfer transactions totaling $17,610 from his account to her personal account. Subpoenaed Venmo records also revealed that Esparza attempted 135 cash withdrawals totaling $77,220 from the 75-year-old's account. Those attempted transactions were rejected. Esparaza is also accused of using the 75-year-old's debit card without authorization on 18 occasions to cover $899 in her personal expenses.

The investigation also led to video evidence showing that Esparza used the 72-year-old's debit card to withdraw $1,500 from an ATM without authorization.

The charges against Esparza include money laundering, theft, financial exploitation, credit card fraud, computer fraud, and identity theft.