Sorry to hear about your situation.You can sue the caregiver for conversion.  Conversion here is the theft of your checks.  Conversion is an unauthorized assumption and exercise of the right of ownership over the personal property of another to the exclusion of the owner's rights.  Conversion is any unauthorized act which permanently or for an indefinite time deprives the owner of his or her property.Damages (the amount of compensation you are seeking in your lawsuit) would be the total of your checks.  You can trace the stolen funds to the purchase of the car.  Damages in conversion usually is a forced sale in this case to recover the value of your checks.  Another remedy to consider is a constructive trust.  A constructive trust means that the wrongdoer has to return the funds to you.