East Saint Louis Caretaker and Accomplice Indicted for Stealing Identities and Defrauding Elderly Clients

A federal grand jury for the Southern District of Illinois has returned a nine-count indictment 
charging Erica S. Rose, 30, of East Saint Louis, Illinois, and Ashley N. McKinney, 36, of Pheba, 
Mississippi, with conspiring to commit bank and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and other 
felony offenses.

According to the indictment, Rose used her employment with a Belleville-based in-home health care 
provider to gain access to the homes of elderly clients in Southern Illinois, where she stole bank 
account numbers and other identifying information. The indictment further alleges that Rose 
provided the stolen materials to McKinney, who withdrew money from ATMs, deposited fraudulent 
checks, and even purchased a car online for over $28,000 – all using the elderly victims’ funds and 
identities.

Rose and McKinney are due in federal court for their initial appearance on Feb. 11, 2020, at 1:30 
pm. A trial date has not been set. If convicted, the pair faces up to 30 years in prison on the 
conspiracy charge. The aggravated identity theft charges each carry a mandatory sentence of two 
years imprisonment.

An indictment merely is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed 
to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a 
jury.

The investigation was conducted by detectives from the Edwardsville Police Department, Belleville 
Police Department, Swansea Police Department, and St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Luke J. Weissler.