Dent County Caregiver Admits Stealing from Client

U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Missouri

A caregiver from Dent County, Missouri on Friday admitted stealing at least $321,000 from a client.

Loretta Pyeatt, 52, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of fraud in connection with access devices. She admitted that she worked for the victim from roughly July 2023 to September 2025. At the time she started, the victim had at least $232,026 and was receiving Social Security Administration retirement benefits and Veteran’s Affairs benefits monthly. He gave Pyeatt his debit cards so she could buy groceries for him. Pyeatt, however, used the card to make cash withdrawals and additional unauthorized purchases. Before Pyeatt started working for the victim, he had 20 to 30 debit transactions per month. That ballooned to as many as 330 transactions per month. By July 2025, the victim’s account balance had declined to less than $5,600.

Pyeatt is scheduled to be sentenced on December 9. The charge carries a potential penalty of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both prison and a fine.

The Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and the Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolene Taaffe is prosecuting the case.