Home aide charged with stealing more than $10G from Riverside man

A home assistant to the elderly was arrested and charged with stealing more than $10,000 from a Riverside man in her care, police said Wednesday.

Marya M. Orellana, 30, of Mattituck, was arrested at Southampton Town Police headquarters Wednesday and charged with five counts of third-degree grand larceny.

Police said that from mid-April to mid-May, Orellana worked for a company subcontracted by the Suffolk County Department of Social Services to assist an elderly man living in McLeod's trailer park in Riverside.

During that time, police said, she issued multiple checks to herself totaling more than $10,000.

The scheme was uncovered when a social worker from the county Department of the Aging discovered records of the checks issued to Orellana, all for "large monetary amounts," police said. The man called 911 to report the theft.

Police ask that anyone with information to contact them at 631-728-3400 or their crime tips hotline at 631-728-3454.

Arraignment details were not immediately available.