At 88, US Congress’s oldest member Eleanor Holmes Norton falls victim to $4,000 scam amid rumours of dementia

Eleanor Holmes Norton, the 88-year-old non-voting delegate representing the District of Columbia, was defrauded by a group of scammers posing as HVAC workers at her Washington, DC, home, according to a police report obtained by NBC News4. The suspects allegedly charged $4,362 to Norton’s credit card without performing any work.

The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon, just after 3:30 p.m., when the group arrived at Norton’s residence while her “caretaker/power of attorney was not at residence,” the report stated. It was the caretaker who later alerted DC police after noticing the unexpected visit.

The internal report also described Norton as suffering from the “early stages of dementia,” a reference included in the victim information section. Norton, who has served in the House since 1991, has reportedly shown signs of cognitive decline in recent years, with colleagues and friends telling The New York Times that she relies on aides and close associates for assistance and rarely attends House Oversight Committee meetings.

Office disputes medical claim

Norton’s office strongly rejected the “dementia” reference, calling it an unqualified assumption by the reporting officer. “The medical diagnosis included in the police report was based on an assumption the reporting officer was unqualified to make,” her office said in a statement to NBC News4.

The office clarified that Norton does not have a caretaker but employs a “house manager” who oversees home maintenance. “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,” the statement read. The house manager later reviewed Ring doorbell footage, confirmed that no appointment had been scheduled, and immediately reported the fraud.

DC’s Metropolitan Police Department has classified the case as felony fraud. A public incident report released by the department did not include any mention of dementia. Norton’s office confirmed that the fraudulent charges have been reported to police and her bank, adding, “The Congresswoman is safe and the fraudulent charges have been reported… There will be no further comment.”

Despite concerns about her mental acuity, Norton told Axios last month that she intends to seek re-election. When asked if she planned to run again, she responded, “Of course. I say that my seniority is what is very important, and I am not going to step aside.”