LITTLE VALLEY, NY (WNY News Now) – A 34-year-old woman is accused of disguising herself as a nursing home employee in Olean is accused of defrauding $50,000 from Cattaraugus County’s social services office.

The Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office has charged Christina Ertell, of Portville, with grand larceny, falsifying business records and welfare fraud.

Deputies report Ertell, while claiming to be employed by Pines Nursing Home in Olean, was receiving benefits from the county’s department of social services.

The scheme, deputies said, started in November 2021 and ended when Ertell turned herself in on Friday.