Former Fox News ‘Liberal Sherpa’ Arrested on Charges She Kidnapped and Financially Exploited Elderly Mother

Courtesy – Miami-Dade Corrections

Cathy Areu, a former regular on Fox News where she played the part of the “Liberal Sherpa“, was arrested in Miami, Florida on charges that she allegedly kidnapped and exploited her mother for money.

According to the Miami Herald, Areu was arrested on Friday with charges ranging from fraud, kidnapping, and exploitation.

Areu also allegedly attempted to use power of attorney twice to place her mother in assisted living facilities in attempts to control her assets. The elderly woman was later released on both occasions after the Florida Department of Children and Families discovered she was not in need of that type of care.

From the Herald:

Miami-Dade police detectives had been trying to arrest her since June, when a judge signed a warrant for her arrest. According to a Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office press release, she is believed to have been evading arrest and even took off to Mexico for a time.

Investigators claim Areu could have taken more than $224,000 from her 88-year-old mother including funds from a reverse mortgage, as well as numerous bank accounts and credit cards that were opened in her name.

According to the Herald, the investigation has been ongoing since 2019:

The elderly woman’s home had been turned over to Areu via a quit claim deed, a document the victim denied ever signing, according to the press release. Areu later claimed that other people were exploiting her mother, and that the woman had brain damage or dementia, the report said.

Read the full report here.