EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A nursing assistant from the Metro East is facing federal charges for defrauding her elderly patients over a 13-month period.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois said Markeisha A. Hill, of Granite City, Illinois, worked as a certified nursing assistant at University Nursing and Rehabilitation in Edwardsville from October 2022 through June 2023 and at Meridian Village in Glen Carbon from August to November 2023.

Hill, 35, is accused of using her elderly patients’ credit and debit card and bank account information for personal purchases greater than $1,000 without their permission or knowledge.

Hill was charged through a federal grand jury with two counts of access to device fraud, six counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of possession of five or more identification documents.

“Financial crimes against the elderly are prevalent, but it’s especially disturbing when nursing home patients are targeted and victimized by the medical professionals who are entrusted with their care,” U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe said.

If convicted, Hill could be punished with up to 15 years of imprisonment for each count of access device fraud, as well as a two-year mandatory sentence for each aggravated identity theft charge. Hill faces an additional five years’ imprisonment for possession of five or more IDs.