Coronavirus: New York Nurse Arrested For Stealing COVID-19 Patient's Credit Cards

A New York nurse was arrested Thursday after she was accused of stealing and using a COVID-19 patient's credit cards.

Police said that Danielle Conti, 43, who works at the Staten Island University Hospital, is facing charges of grand larceny, petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property after she took something from a patient, who was then losing his battle from COVID-19.

Anthony Catapano, 70, succumb to the viral disease on April 12 following a week of hospital treatment. However, his daughter, Tara Catapano, saw some charges on her father's credit card bills when the statement came in the mail on April 27.

One charge was made on April 9 at a grocery store, but it was on the day Tara's dad was moved up the ventilator unit of the hospital. Another charge was for gas, which sparked another red flag since Tara said her father always paid cash at gas stations.

Tara was given her father's possessions after he passed away. The credit cards in his wallet were intact.

"Today I get his Amex bill in the mail and there are 2 charges for gas and groceries while he was in the hospital and fighting for his life," Tara wrote on Facebook. "Due to the pandemic no visitors are allowed, therefore that means a hospital employee stole my father's credit card, used it and then returned it to his wallet."

Tara told NBC News that she couldn't imagine a nurse would steal from a dying patient.

"This was someone who was supposed to care for my father,” Tara said. "She went in there and gave him his medicine and then, what, went for his wallet? I can’t even wrap my head around it.”

The victim's daughter notified the police of the fraudulent activities on April 28.

Meanwhile, the hospital released a statement saying that Conti has been "temporarily suspended and faces termination in response to the felony charges." The nurse has been working at the hospital since 2007.