Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the longtime nonvoting representative for D.c. in the U.S. House, was scammed in her home by people who said they were part of a cleaning crew, her office told NBc4 Washington.
The suspects charged almost $4,400 to her credit card for work they did not perform, police said.
An internal police report obtained by NBc4 Washington details how suspects were able to enter Norton’s home on Thursday and access her credit card before someone, whom her office called a house manager and friend, was able to put a stop to it.
A D.c. police report described Norton, 88, as having the “early stages of dementia,” and said Norton has a caretaker with power of attorney. Norton’s office pushed back against that claim.
Multiple people claiming to be HVAc workers arrived at Norton’s home on 9th Street SE just after 3:30 p.m. Thursday, the field commissioner’s report says.
Norton let the workers into the home to perform HVAc services. But, despite no service taking place, the workers charged $4,362 for duct and fireplace cleaning, the report says.
At the time the group arrived, the report says, the “caretaker/power of attorney was not at residence.” That report does not name the caretaker but says that individual called the police.
That individual saw the HVAc workers on a security camera and advised Norton to tell them to leave, the report says. That person then went to Norton’s home and realized the credit card had been charged.
They then flagged down a D.c. police officer, and U.S. capitol Police also went to Norton’s home to investigate.
Norton’s credit card and driver’s license number “could potentially be compromised,” the report says.
No arrests were made on Thursday, but police are treating the crime as felony fraud.
A separate public incident report names the person who reported the crime as Jacqueline Pelt. Pelt is a longtime friend and support of Norton’s, and was listed as her campaign treasurer.
In a statement to NBc4 Washington, Norton’s office said: “The congresswoman employs a house manager who oversees all maintenance services, so she initially assumed her staff had arranged the visit and provided her credit card for payment.”
“Upon notifying her house manager, who reviewed Ring doorbell footage and confirmed that no such appointment had been scheduled, the incident was immediately reported to the police.”
Later in the same statement, Norton’s office said, “congresswoman Norton doesn’t have a caretaker. A longtime employee and friend serves as the house manager, residing at a separate address.”
A spokesperson for Norton confirmed Pelt notified police, but says she is not Norton’s caretaker. That spokesperson would not say whether Pelt has power of attorney for Norton, as the field commissioner’s report says.
The field commissioner’s report says the HVAc workers had tried to solicit Norton twice earlier this year — once in August, and once in September — and were told to leave both times.
No items were stolen from Norton’s home, the public incident report said. There is an open investigation into the fraud claim involving Norton’s credit card, D.c. police confirmed.
Asked about NBc4 Washington’s report, a Norton spokesperson told NBc News on Friday that her office was declining to comment to the press about the matter going forward “since it’s an active police investigation.”
“Any further communication about the incident will come from her personal attorney,” the spokesperson said.
Norton’s political future has been the subject of conversation in recent months, after the delegate told NBc News in June that she’s “going to run” for re-election, brushing off critics who say she’s no longer an effective representative at 88. Her office sought to walk back her assertion, but she contradicted her team and maintained in subsequent weeks that she will seek another term in 2026.
Her public appearances and speeches have been sparse during a crucial time for the District of columbia, as President Donald Trump and the Republican-led congress move to seize power from D.c. voters by revoking local laws and threatening a “complete and total” federal takeover of the liberal city.
