A former nursing assistant at the Bronx Veterans Affairs hospital has been sentenced for stealing the credit card of a paraplegic veteran and using it to indulge in hundreds of dollars’ worth of personal purchases.

The sentencing comes after an investigation by the Bronx district attorney’s office, which revealed a pattern of deceit spanning from early December 2019 to January 20, 2020.

Unique Allen, 34, exploited her position as a full-time nursing assistant in the spinal cord injury unit at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center, where she was responsible for caring for vulnerable patients. Bronx DA Darcel Clark stated, “The defendant, who was an employee of the hospital, violated her duty to the patient, a paralyzed veteran.”

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During her theft, Allen used the 72-year-old veteran’s credit card information to make unauthorized purchases including food deliveries, shoes, bath items, and even movie tickets, totaling around $600. Although she attempted to use the credit card for an additional $2,000 worth of items, her efforts were thwarted when the card was declined.

Following the incident, Allen was terminated from her position at the hospital for what the DA described as an unrelated reason. In August, she pleaded guilty to fourth-degree grand larceny and was sentenced to five years of probation on Wednesday.