Tiana Lee Arends: Albany woman sentenced to 10 months in jail for stealing thousands from elderly men

An Albany woman has been convicted of theft and fraud after preying on elderly men and stealing their money to buy cannabis for her drug-dependent father. Tiana Lee Arends, 24, appeared in Albany Magistrates Court via video link from Bandyup Women’s Prison on Thursday, on 15 charges relating to theft, attempted theft, assault, and fraud. Police prosecutor Sgt Warrick Walker told the court how Arends preyed on three elderly men, begging them for money and stealing their bank cards to withdraw money from various ATMs around Albany. The police prosecutor told the court that between March 23 and April 24, Arends attempted to steal more than $6000 from three elderly men, ultimately taking $5000. One man in his 70s suffered a fall and lay there for several hours before being discovered and transferred to Albany Health Campus. The rear windows of his car were smashed and his debit card stolen. Arends succeeded in withdrawing $5000 after multiple attempts to withdraw $6200 cash from ATMs around Albany. Another man in his 70s with limited mobility was robbed by Arends when she knocked on his door asking for money. After being denied cash, Arends pushed her way through the door and stole $100 from the man’s wallet located in the storage compartment of his walker. In a similarly brazen robbery, Arends entered the home of a man in his 80s while he was in hospital via an unlocked door and retrieved the victim’s wallet, stealing $100 in cash. On another occasion, Arends talked a victim into giving her $300 with the promise to pay it back later, and later appeared the same day requesting more money but was unable to withdraw any money at the ATM because of an error message. A search warrant was executed on the Arends’ address in relation to the thefts on April 21. Police subsequently found 5 grams of cannabis on her person, and arrested Arends when she kicked a police officer. Arends has previously been on an intensive supervision order for similar acts of theft. Arends’ lawyer told the court how the mother of three had previously experienced domestic violence at the hands of a former partner and her father, who once hit her in the face with the head of a vacuum cleaner. Arends’ lawyer said that Arends was pressured by her father to make sure he had drugs, which she complied with by cash theft to buy said drugs. Magistrate Dianne Scaddan denied Arends’ request for a suspended sentence, citing the predatory actions towards the elderly community in Albany. “You stole from elderly men who, more often than not, were frail and had health conditions, which made them easy targets for you,” the magistrate said. “Elderly and vulnerable people are deserving of protection by the courts, and what is important to the court is the safety of the elderly community.” Arends was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment and was fined a total of $1100.