REDWOOD CITY (BCN) -- A South San Francisco woman who was arrested over the weekend on  suspicion of embezzling $60,000 from an elderly woman's checking account has  pleaded not guilty to 16 felony charges, according to the district attorney's  office.

      Illein Cuneta Quesada, 44, has been charged with one count of  elder fiscal abuse, one count of identity theft and 14 counts of forgery,  District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.

      Quesada was arrested Saturday after an investigation revealed that  she had allegedly been modifying the personal checks of an 81-year-old  Millbrae woman for whom she worked as a caretaker, according to the San Mateo  County Sheriff's Office.

      The discrepancies in the victim's checking account were initially  discovered by her financial adviser. A subsequent investigation by the  sheriff's office revealed that Quesada had been modifying checks since May  2011, resulting in a cumulative loss of over $60,000, according to the  sheriff's office.

      When she was arrested, Quesada allegedly admitted to her  involvement in the embezzlement, sheriff's officials said.

      She remains in custody on $340,000 bail, and is scheduled to  return to court for a preliminary hearing on July 23, Wagstaffe said.
      
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