Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Police looking for woman accused of stealing from elderly man

Lanique Elaine Pettus

Courtesy photo

Lanique Elaine Pettus, 32, is wanted on one count of exploitation of an older person, 16 counts of forgery and six counts of fraudulent use of credit card.

A woman accused of stealing nearly $10,000 from an elderly man by falsifying his signature on checks and using his debit card to make rent and car payments is being sought by authorities, according to the Clark County District Attorney’s Office and court documents.

Lanique Elaine Pettus, 32, is wanted on one count of exploitation of an older person, 16 counts of forgery and six counts of fraudulent use of credit card; all felonies, according to a criminal complaint filed in a Henderson courthouse.

The 80-year-old man was victimized through “deception intimidation or undue influence” last year from Feb. 1 to March 31, according to the complaint.

The fraudulent checks were written for amounts ranging from $150 to $780, and the debit card was used for payments in the range of $268 to $888, totaling about $9,500, according to the complaint.

Prosecutors today released photos of Pettus allegedly cashing the fraudulent checks at valley banks.

It wasn’t immediately clear when the case was filed.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or crimestoppersofnv.com