LEWISTON — Authorities said a local woman stole $150,000 mostly from the elderly, along with items from their homes.

Tanya Boutelle, 54, was indicted last week by an Androscoggin County grand jury on three theft charges and one count of tampering with a victim. Two of the charges are Class B felonies, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The other two charges are Class C felonies, each  carrying a maximum of five years in prison.

Investigators said a dozen victims have been identified, ranging in age from 53 to 86.

Since 2014, Boutelle had established relationships with the victims, creating scenarios where she would need to borrow money, then not pay it back, according to a statement from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.

The department’s Fraud and Recovery Unit had begun investigating Boutelle for possible welfare fraud. Investigators there found that she had failed to report her income to the state and had received nearly $4,000 she wasn’t entitled to collect, DHHS said.

When that agency collaborated with the department’s Office of Aging and Disability Services and the Financial Abuse Specialist Team, investigators, law enforcement officers and prosecutors discovered the possible theft victims.

According to the indictment, Boutelle would create the impression that she was coming into money through a settlement or real estate sale and that, after borrowing money against those forthcoming assets, she would be able to repay the lender’s money through the proceeds of the settlement or sale. She would tell the lenders that she considered the money a loan and would repay it, though she knew otherwise.

In one case in March, Boutelle took silver coins worth more than $1,000 from an 85-year-old woman, according to court records. A month later, Boutelle pressured that victim to withhold testimony, information or evidence, court records said.

Boutelle pleaded not guilty to the four charges at her arraignment Friday in 8th District Court. She is being held at the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn in lieu of $10,000 cash bail.

Should she post bail, conditions of her release include no possession and use of alcohol and illegal drugs, for which she can be searched at random and tested. She also must have no contact with any of the named victims in the indictment and must abide by a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. 

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