Blind man’s assistant stole $140,000 from him and went on cruise, Florida cops say

The personal assistant to a 77-year-old blind man stole more than $140,000 from him to fund her lavish lifestyle, Florida investigators said.

Now, 46-year-old Carrie Hutchinson has lost her $6,000 per month salary working for the man and is charged with grand theft of $100,000 or more, exploitation of the elderly and criminal use of a personal ID, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a Nov. 15 news release.

Hutchinson’s attorney’s information wasn’t available in records Nov. 15.

Hutchinson, a certified nursing assistant, starting working for the Winter Haven man by caring for his wife until she died, according to an arrest affidavit filed in Polk County.

The husband kept Hutchinson on as his personal assistant, but in July became became suspicious and asked a friend to look at his finances for him, deputies said.

That’s when they learned Hutchinson had been stealing from him in increasing amounts since 2020, records in the affidavit show. She started by stealing $4,000 in the first year, and in the first seven months of 2024, she stole $50,000, deputies said.

Hutchinson’s boss confronted her and fired her after she got off a Carnival Cruise, and she told him she had “borrowed” money for the cruise, but now wouldn’t be able to pay it back, deputies said.

Investigators said she placed hundreds of Amazon orders for herself, paid for a rush order for pop-on veneers, bought flights for herself and friends for a trip to Maine, took photography classes, booked Vrbo rentals and spent money on her pet expenses.

Winter Haven is about a 50-mile drive southwest from Orlando.