Resources to combat romance scams

Romance scams flourish in silence.

In 2025, Americans age 60 or older reported losing $584 million to romance scams – a 50% increase from losses reported the previous year, according to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. Authorities believe the loss figure is probably considerably higher, because many scams go unreported by victims who are embarrassed to ask for help. This growing exploitation of our older population is infuriating. No one should lose his or her life savings to someone pretending to care about them.  That’s why the Ohio Attorney General’s Office has gone on the offensive to combat these crimes.

The resources provided here, including the video at right in which the attorney general explains our Romance Impostor Scams Forensic Initiative, are yours to use and share in whatever way works best for your purpose. 

Together, we can keep Ohioans safe. 

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Resources to combat romance scams 

Attorney General's office supports reform bills on guardianship

By Legal Newsline

LANSING – Today, Scott Teter, Division Chief of the Department of Attorney General Financial Crimes Division and head of the Elder Abuse Task Force, testified before the Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee in support of House Bills 4909, 4910, 4911, and 4912. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that this bill package is a first step toward implementing reforms to Michigan’s guardianship statutes.

“I’ve seen firsthand how Michigan’s guardianship and conservatorship system has failed vulnerable adults in our state,” Nessel said. “I am glad some improvements are being made, but we can’t stop here. I will continue to push for the long-awaited reforms as recommended by our Elder Abuse Task Force, which will help create a system that truly treats all Michiganders with the dignity, compassion, and autonomy they deserve.”

"A system that ignores the rights of vulnerable adults and dehumanizes them and ignores the concerns of family members doesn’t do justice and must be changed,” Teter said. “There are common-sense reforms in these bills that are long overdue that will help fix a broken system, but we are not done yet and have more work to do.”

Teter’s testimony highlighted specific concerns faced by the Department, the Elder Abuse Task Force, and their partners under the current system. The proposed legislation aims to address these issues by:

- Requiring courts to make findings of fact if a person with priority for appointment, such as a family member, is passed over in favor of a professional guardian;

- Establishing a clear asset and income threshold above which the appointment of a conservator is required;

- Requiring guardian and conservator letters of authority to expire after 15 months;

- Clarifying and expanding the guardian ad litem’s responsibilities;

- Improving protections for wards when professional guardians seek to remove them from their homes;

- Requiring professional guardians to file petitions seeking court authority to move wards;

- Mandating courts appoint guardians ad litem or counsel for wards where appropriate before authorizing moves to new residences;

- Enhancing basic standards for medical reports used in guardianship and conservatorship hearings;

- Refining the process for emergency petitions for guardianship/conservatorship to ensure an actual emergency exists.

In his testimony, Teter also encouraged legislators to adopt additional legislation creating family consent laws and Personal Protection Orders (PPOs) for elder/vulnerable adults. He provided an overview of the guardian certification initiative.

The Department expressed support for Senate Bill 656 which would restrict investment types allowed by conservators managing estate property. This bill requires conservators to invest according to the Michigan prudent investor rule and mandates investments through brokerage firms insured by the United States Securities Protection Corporation. Additionally, it prohibits investments in cryptocurrency.

Michigan's Elder Abuse Task Force was launched in 2019 with more than 55 organizations from public, private, and nonprofit sectors collaborating against elder abuse. The task force comprises over 100 individuals divided into seven committees working on nine initiatives including wholesale reforms like certification and training requirements for professional guardians.

Achievements include adopting a Vulnerable Adult Incident Report form used statewide by law enforcement along with related training sessions. The Financial Exploitation Prevention Act was also passed ensuring mandatory reporting from financial institutions on suspected fraud or exploitation. Another law added financial advisors and securities brokers as mandatory reporters. The Uniform Power of Attorney Act becomes effective July 1, 2024 making powers of attorney more accessible through standardized forms within statute.

More than 73,000 older adults in Michigan suffer from elder abuse involving neglect or exploitation. Residents seeking elder abuse resources can call 800-24-ABUSE (22873) or report suspected abuse at 855-444-3911.

Full Article & Source:
Attorney General's office supports reform bills on guardianship

Five individuals, including local probate judge, charged for roles in stealing valuable sports cards and firearms collections from estate

Published on Friday, July 28, 2023

An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha and the Rhode Island State Police today announced that the Statewide Grand Jury returned an indictment charging five individuals, including a local probate judge, for their roles in the alleged theft of valuable sports cards and firearms collections from the estate of a deceased Cranston man.

On July 26, 2023, the statewide grand jury returned sealed indictments charging Sylvia Santilli (age 71), Luke Baughman (age 37), Jillian Chatelle (age 32), James Connors (age 69), and Priscilla Facha DiMaio (age 65) with various crimes related to the theft of valuable property from the estate of the late James Barbieri. The estate included collections of sports cards with an estimated value of more than $1 million and firearms worth more than $100,000. Ms. DiMaio is a probate judge in the town of Johnston.

The indictment was unsealed on July 27, 2023, at the arraignments of Sylvia Santilli, Jillian Chatelle, and James Connors in Providence Superior Court. Luke Baughman and Priscilla Facha DiMaio are scheduled to be arraigned on July 31 and August 2, respectively.

As alleged in the indictment, James Barbieri passed away on April 26, 2021, at Rhode Island Hospital and did so without a will. During the final days of his life, Mr. Barbieri was sedated and intubated. Two days prior to his passing, it is alleged Sylvia Santilli, a close friend of Mr. Barbieri, began to remove items from his home without lawful claim or authority to do so.

It is further alleged that on the day of Mr. Barbieri’s passing, Ms. Santilli, her daughter Jillian Chatelle, and Ms. Chatelle’s boyfriend Luke Baughman, conducted internet searches regarding market rates for sports cards contained in Mr. Barbieri’s collection. It is alleged the following day the co-defendants unlawfully removed sports cards and other items from the estate. It is alleged they later sold a portion of the collection, sought buyers for the collection, and transported the goods to a storage unit for later sale.

Separately, it is alleged that James Connors, owner of Jim’s Firearm Repair and Sales in Johnston, received and eventually sold firearms unlawfully removed from Mr. Barbieri’s estate. It is alleged that in response to a probate court subpoena, Connors knowingly submitted a false accounting and receipts of the firearms sold and their approximate value. It is alleged that Connors sold multiple firearms for more than the value of firearms that he reported to the Cranston Probate Court.

Additionally, it is alleged Priscilla Facha DiMaio filed with the Cranston Probate Court an Application for Approval of Fiduciary’s and Attorney’s Fees for work that she claimed to have performed for the Barbieri Estate for services on the following dates: May 8, May 9, May 12, May 15, and May 21, 2021. These claims are alleged to be substantially false.

 

Charges:

Sylvia Santilli (P1-2023-2568A) has been charged with one count of entering a dwelling to commit larceny, two counts of larceny over $1,500, one count of obtaining money under false pretenses over $1,500, one count of conspiracy to obtain money under false pretenses, one count of attempting to obtain money under false pretenses, one count of conspiracy to attempt to obtain money under false pretenses, and one count of conspiracy to commit larceny.

Luke Baughman (P1-2023-2568B) has been charged with one count of receiving stolen goods over $1,500, one count of conspiracy to receive stolen goods, one count of obtaining money under false pretenses over $1,500, one count of conspiracy to obtain money under false pretenses, one count of attempting to obtain money under false pretenses over $1,500, one count of conspiracy to attempt to obtain money under false pretenses, one count of larceny over $1,500 and one count of conspiracy to commit larceny.

Jillian Chatelle (P1-2023-2568C) was charged with one count of receiving stolen goods over $1,500, one count of conspiracy to receive stolen goods, one count of obtaining money under false pretenses over $1,500, one count of conspiracy to obtain money under false pretenses, one count of attempting to obtain money under false pretenses over $1,500, and one count of conspiracy to attempt to obtain money under false pretenses.

Priscilla DiMaio (P1-2023-2568D) was charged with one count of attempting to obtain money under false pretenses over $1,500, and one count of providing a false document to a public official.

James Connors (P1-2023-2568E) was charged with one count of attempting to obtain money under false pretenses over $1,500, one count of unlawful appropriation over $1,000, and three counts of providing a false document to a public official.

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Source:
Five individuals, including local probate judge, charged for roles in stealing valuable sports cards and firearms collections from estate

Jennifer Bryant Arrested and Charged with Theft for Stealing from Elderly Relative

Concord, NH – Attorney General John M. Formella announces the arrest of Jennifer Bryant, 47, of East Rochester, for one class A felony charge of theft by unauthorized taking or transfer.

The criminal complaint, filed today in the Strafford County Superior Court, alleges that between May 7, 2019, and May 12, 2022, Ms. Bryant, pursuant to one scheme or course of conduct, obtained or exercised unauthorized control over social security funds, property of R.K.W. and/or Administrator of Riverside Rest Home, by depositing the funds into a Citizen's Bank account and using the funds to make unauthorized expenditures, in an aggregate amount of more than $1,500, with a purpose to deprive R.K.W. and/or Administrator of Riverside Rest Home thereof.

If convicted, Ms. Bryant faces a penalty of up to 7½-15 years in the New Hampshire State Prison, and a $4,000 fine. Ms. Bryant is scheduled to be arraigned in the Strafford County Superior Court on March 2, 2023, at 12:30 p.m.

The charges and allegations are accusations only, and Ms. Bryant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was investigated jointly by the New Hampshire Department of Justice's Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation Unit and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The matter is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant Attorney General Bryan J. Townsend, II, of the Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation Unit, and Attorney Andrew Yourell of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of elder abuse or financial exploitation, please contact your local police department or the Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services (1-800-949-0470).

Full Article & Source:
Jennifer Bryant Arrested and Charged with Theft for Stealing from Elderly Relative

St. Louis City Woman Pleads Guilty to Financial Exploitation of Elderly and Stealing, Will Pay Over $9,000 in Restitution

News Provided By

Missouri Attorney General

October 16, 2020, 21:19 GMT 

 

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that on October 15, 2020, Tashe Beach pled guilty in the Circuit Court of St. Louis City to two class D felonies of Abuse of a Person Receiving Health Care, one Class C felony of Financial Exploitation of Elderly Persons, one Class D felony of Financial Exploitation of Elderly Persons, two Class D felonies of Stealing, and one Class D felony of Stealing a Debit Device.

This case was prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Assistant Attorney General G. Brad Crowell with the assistance of Investigators Sarah Johnson and Rob Hyder.

“Our state’s elderly are often our most vulnerable population, especially those in nursing or assisted living homes. Our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit works every single day to root out these instances of Medicaid fraud and financial exploitation, prosecute them, and return money stolen to the Medicaid system or to victims,” said Attorney General Schmitt. 

While working in the business office of a nursing home located in St. Louis City, Beach took money from four residents by convincing the elderly victims they were required to provide their debit card for payment of room and board. Instead of applying the illegally obtained money to the residents’ room and board, Beach kept their money for her personal use including vacations. Beach was caught on video transporting one of the victims to a bank to have them withdraw cash, as well as using a victim’s debit card at a bank ATM. While on vacation, Beach was captured on video using a victim’s debit card.

As a result of Beach’s plea of guilty to all seven counts she was placed on 5 years supervised probation and ordered to pay $9,514 in restitution in addition to other conditions of probation.  

The Missouri MFCU receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $2,818,808 for Federal fiscal year 2021. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $939,601 is funded by the State of Missouri.

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Full Article & Source:

St. Louis City Woman Pleads Guilty to Financial Exploitation of Elderly and Stealing, Will Pay Over $9,000 in Restitution

Wisconsin Attorney General launches new elder abuse hotline

MADISON, Wis. (WEAU)-- The Wisconsin Attorney General's office is announcing a new tool to protect seniors in the state. 

A new toll-free Wisconsin Elder Abuse Hotline will allow people to report elder abuse. It also provides resources to educate people about what to look for when it comes to this kind of abuse.

Elder abuse can occur in a variety of formats including financial exploitation, physical abuse or neglect.

Attorney General Josh Kaul says elder abuse is on the rise in Wisconsin and it often goes unreported. He says he hopes this hotline will encourage more people to report when elder abuse is happening as prevention is key.

"The more people become educated about these scams and we know the steps to take to prevent them from happening, the safer that seniors and all Wisconsinites will be," Kaul says.

Kaul says the hotline is especially essential as many Wisconsinites are spending more time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic and could be more susceptible to elder abuse.

"With people staying safer at home, people are having fewer contact with family and friends so it may be difficult to spot elder abuse so a report that may have happened isn’t happening now," Kaul says.

He says people should also be cautious of suspicious phone calls as the COVID-19 pandemic is leading scammers to pretend to be government officials and even offer fake cures.

Kaul recommends people continue to check in on elderly neighbors and relatives and look out for signs of abuse and neglect.

People can call the toll-free hotline at 1-833-586-0107 or to access the online portal, click here.

Full Article & Source:
Wisconsin Attorney General launches new elder abuse hotline

Tonight on Marti Oakley's TS Radio Network: Michigan Rats are Fleeing the Ship...

5:00 pm PST…6:00 pm MST…7:00 pm CST…8:00 pm EST

Gretchen Rachel Hammond, investigative reporter, fills us in on the after shock of her expose' on Oakland county Probate Court, Michigan.

Gretchen's five part series, fully documented in tedious detail the corruption and abuses that have been on going for years! The number of lives destroyed while predators in the system were given ownership and control of vulnerable elderly an disabled individuals, allowing them to warehouse these people and help themselves to their assets is a national disgrace.  All of it done within the full view of the state's attorney general, Dana Nessel.

She wasn't the only AG to turn a blind eye, just the last in a long line. "It seems the guardians and judges at the Oakland County Probate Court have been doing a bit of house cleaning since August: Elderly and developmentally disabled victims are getting moved out of unlicensed group homes. Small refunds are being offered to victim family members on the proviso that they sign a form saying they received a refund for "accidental over billing."

Guardians are trying to close out cases and get rid of their own assets (such as half million dollar homes). Files in case dockets are being altered or removed (such as accounts, change of address forms and ex parte orders). As of last week, the court's only public access computer (the one my team and I used to research case files without paying $1-per-page) is gone."

Tune in as Gretchen fills us in on the recent activity in Michigan. Amazing what a top-notch investigative journalist can do!

LISTEN LIVE or listen to the archive later

Attorney General objecting to fees in Macomb Co. guardian case exposed by 7 Investigators

(WXY) — Michigan’s Attorney General is officially intervening in a controversial guardianship case first exposed by the 7 Investigators. On behalf of Attorney General Dana Nessel, State Public Administrator Michael Moody is officially objecting to the fees requested in the case of Bob Mitchell and Barbara Delbridge.

“We were monitoring the case, and watching it, but by intervening we can make arguments now in the case itself,” Moody told 7 Investigator Heather Catallo Friday after a court hearing in the case.

In May, 7 Action News first exposed how Mitchell and Delbridge were kept from their family members after Macomb County Probate Judge Kathryn George granted guardianship and conservatorship of the couple to Cathy Kirk’s Caring Hearts Michigan Inc. Mitchell’s daughter, Marcie Mitchell, had the family’s support to become Bob and Barb’s guardian, but Judge George would not allow it.

Cathy Kirk is married to prominent Macomb County lawyer Robert Kirk, and used his law firm to bill Mitchell and Delbridge $31,624.59 while they were under her guardianship.

Kirk also hired her own caregiver company, Executive Care, to provide 24/7 in-home care for the couple. That bill now for 192 days of care now totals $263,478.91.

The Attorney General and other legal experts interviewed by the 7 Investigators argue those charges violate Michigan law, which prevents self-dealing for guardians.

In the Attorney General’s notice of intervention filed with the court, Moody writes: “All of these financial transactions set forth in Caring Hearts’ Final Account are presumed to be affected by a conflict between personal and fiduciary interests, and therefore voidable.”

Michigan’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget McCormack and Nessel announced in May that the case would be under investigated. It was reassigned to Macomb County Chief Judge James Biernat Jr.
In June, Marcie Mitchell, and Barbara Delbridge’s sister, Anita Little, were awarded guardianship of their loved ones, and today they were awarded conservatorship.

“This is an important case that kind of rose to the forefront of our Elder Abuse Task Force. The Attorney general thought this case exemplified the concerns that she has about guardian and conservators around the state, and when we looked at this case and the fact that it started with passing over the family members for priority, and then we’ve gone on to this issue of self-dealing potential, this became a case that she said hey, this is important to the people of the state of Michigan,” Moody told Catallo outside the courtroom Friday.

The intervention and objection to fees does not prevent the Attorney General from pursuing a criminal case in the matter.

Family members are also objecting to the fees from Caring Hearts, Executive Care, and Kirk’s law firm. A hearing is set for January, 10, 2020.

Edward Nahhat the attorney for Caring Hearts Michigan released the following statement to 7 Action News about today's developments.

The Attorney General has misapplied the statutes and the court rules here, and is seemingly taking sides in a probate dispute. These families have competent counsel who are giving their clients their full day in court. Caring Hearts Michigan was appointed by that court, then served these individuals diligently, and took good care of them. The facts in court will ultimately prove that.

Full Article & Source:
Attorney General objecting to fees in Macomb Co. guardian case exposed by 7 Investigators

MICHIGAN ATTORNEY GENERAL DANA NESSEL AND GOVERNOR GRETCHEN WHITMER TIED TO INVESTIGATION OF MASSIVE ELDER ABUSE AND EXPLOITATION RING..

LOS ANGELES , CA, USA, August 26, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/

NESSEL FIRES THREE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATORS EXPOSED IN THE STORY.

Michigan Attorney General
Dana Nessle

An August 23 investigation detailing a massive alleged elder abuse and exploitation ring operating out of a Michigan probate court was published on the same day that Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel fired three public administrators, exposed in the story as allegedly exploiting thousands of vulnerable Americans under their guardianship.

High-profile cases such as the ongoing dispute concerning the estate of famed musician Aretha Franklin have been affected.

Franklin's eldest son Clarence is under the guardianship of Michigan attorney Jon Munger who is one of the targets of the probe which uncovered an unsettling number of alleged crimes including abuse, neglect, robbery, and exploitation, often in cases that arguably didn’t merit guardianship in the first place.

In as little as a year, so called "incapacitated wards” are stripped of the entirety of their savings and possessions and rendered completely reliant upon social services and benefits such as Medicaid.

Hammond states that she and her team revealed their findings to Nessel's staff at a March 12, 2019 meeting implicating three of the four public administrators Nessel eventually fired.

On March 25, 2019 Nessel announced the creation of a multi-agency Elder Abuse Task Force. The Task Force presented nine reforms to the guardianship system. Nessel claims the firings were due, in part, to Task Force discoveries.

Hammond says she does not buy it.

"Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and her staff knew this story was coming ever since our March meeting," she says."Her firing of the public administrators we discussed has been a long time coming but doesn't have any effect without criminal investigations. They can still take guardianship cases."

In a forensic review of the Oakland County Probate Court, available to the public for the first time in Michigan history, Mulholland also concludes that criminal investigations into the guardians are warranted.

Hammond's investigation found campaign donations from Nessel to Oakland County Probate County Chief Judge Kathleen Ryan. It also revealed hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to Whitmer by a public relations company owned by Ryan's brother James.

Background:
Every US state still uses form of guardianship Rooted in Medieval English law, at its best, it is designed to protect citizens who are no longer able to protect themselves by declaring them wards of the state. However, increasing reports of abuse cropping up nationwide, has prompted Congressional calls for reform.

But the level of controversy over how guardianship cases are handled in the Detroit-area Oakland County Probate Court has reached such heights, the story reads more like Orwellian fiction than it does a model of the American experience.

Discoveries include the forced separation of families and isolation of the vulnerable; fraudulent petitions for guardianship by Adult Protective Services investigators; massive over-billing; the forced removal of individuals from their homes and the placement of them in nursing facilities or unlicensed group homes with subhuman living conditions; real estate fraud; and missing assets that number in the millions of dollars.

The investigation met with constant challenges, including threats and harassment by Oakland County Sheriff’s officers. A surreal March 12, 2019 four-hour meeting between Hammond's team and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's staff led to a new line of inquiry and discoveries of campaign ties between Nessel, Whitmer and Oakland County Probate Court Chief Judge Kathleen Ryan and her family.
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ROGER NEAL
NEAL PR
+1 323-366-2796

Click the links below to read the five part series:

The Fortress Part One of Five: Unacknowledged and Unprotected

The Fortress Part Two of Five: Protected in Hell
The Fortress Part Three of Five: Profiting from Protection 
The Fortress Part Five of Five: Protected by Secrecy and Ageism

The Fortress Part Four of Five: The Consequences of Protecting Justice

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel visiting Oakland County during Elder Abuse Listening Tour

By Mark Cavitt

Attorney General Dana Nessel speaks during a press conference on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019 at the Frank Kelley Law Library in the Williams Building in Lansing, Mich. Nessel gave updates on Michigan State University, the catholic church and Flint water investigations. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP)

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel will join with two Michigan Supreme Court justices during her 10-city Elder Abuse Listening Tour.

The listening tour will provide a brief overview of the state's new Elder Abuse Task Force and give seniors the opportunity to provide feedback and offer comments to help the task force address the issue of elder abuse, which often goes unreported and unrecognized.

According to the Attorney General's Office, more than 73,000 older adults in Michigan are victims of elder abuse. They experience physical abuse, financial exploitation, emotional abuse, or neglect.

Nessel said the listening tour is about providing a voice to those who don’t often have a chance to speak up and speak out.

“We want to hear directly from our state’s seniors about the issues and challenges they face so we can make certain our new task force is prepared to properly address the troubling issue of elder abuse," said Nessel.

Justices Megan Cavanagh and Richard Bernstein will join Nessel is hearing from Michigan's seniors during the tour, which has a scheduled stop in Farmington on Tuesday, July 23.

Listening tour stops

• Grand Rapids - 1 p.m. Friday, June 14 at Kent County Courthouse
• Traverse City - 10:30 a.m. Friday, June 21 at Traverse Area District Library
• Benton Harbor – 10 a.m. Monday, July 8 at the Berrien County Health Department
• Kalamazoo – 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 9 at the Kalamazoo County Juvenile Home
• New Baltimore – 9 a.m. Monday, July 22 at the 42^nd District Court
• Ann Arbor – 2:30 p.m. Monday, July 22 at Washtenaw Community College
• Farmington – 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 23 at the Farmington Community Library

The Attorney General’s Elder Abuse Task Force, which was formed in March, is made up of nearly 50 different organizations including law enforcement, state agencies, the Michigan House, Senate and Congressional delegation, and advocacy groups.

The task force's initiatives, of which nine have already been created, include requiring professional guardians to become certified, developing statutory basic rights for families, reviewing the process of a guardian removing a ward from his or her home, and limiting the number of wards per guardian.

Michigan residents are being urged to report any signs or concerns about elder abuse to Nessel's office, which has established an elder abuse hotline for anonymous tips: 844-24-ABUSE (844-242-2873) or online at www.mi.gov/elderabuse.

Full Article & Source:
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel visiting Oakland County during Elder Abuse Listening Tour

Former NY Judge Pleads Guilty to Scamming Millions From Estate

A former Capital Region town justice and lawyer pleaded guilty on Monday to working with a financial adviser to bilk about $11.8 million from trust funds that they were responsible for overseeing.

Former Town of Guilderland Justice Richard Sherwood agreed to resign from the bench in April, pleaded guilty to federal money laundering and tax crime charges and a state charge second-degree grand larceny, a class C felony, according to news releases from the New York Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York.

He faces between three and 10 years in prison on the state charge and up to 20 years in prison on the federal charges, the releases stated.

According to court papers, Sherwood and Thomas Lagan, an attorney and a longtime associate of Sherwood’s, provided estate planning for the estate of Warren Bruggeman, a top General Electric executive and noted Capital District philanthropist who died in 2009.

According to the U.S. attorney’s release, Sherwood admitted that, after Bruggeman’s wife died in 2011, he conspired to steal money from her estate, valued at some $20 million.

“New Yorkers should be able to trust that their financial advisors will make sound decisions—not scheme to line their own pockets,” said New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood in a news release. “We will continue to hold accountable those that try to game the system and violate the public trust.”

Sherwood is scheduled to be sentenced for his state charge on Aug. 6 and will be sentenced for his federal charges on Oct. 11.

Full Article and Source:
The New York Law Journal: Former Albany Area Judge Pleads Guilty to Scamming Millions from Estate

Georgia Probate Judge Indicted After $430K Goes Missing

WALB.com, South Georgia News, Weather, Sports

A Georgia probate judge has been indicted on charges of racketeering and theft by taking after nearly half a million dollars was stolen from the Atkinson County Probate Court's Office.

Probate Judge Marjorie O’Brien was arrested on January 27, 2017, and charged with one count of theft by taking.

An investigation was launched into the possible theft of funds by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation at the request of Superior Court Judge Howard McClain on January 17, 2017.

During the investigation, the GBI determined O’Brien had stolen approximately $430,000 from the Atkinson County Probate court's Office between 2010 and 2016.

On Monday, O'Brien was indicted by an Atkinson County grand jury on two counts of racketeering and 81 counts of theft by taking.

Atkinson County Sheriff David Moore says the whole situation caught him completely off guard.

"It's like a kick in the stomach. One it's a small county, everybody knows everybody. We may talk about you, but we still like you. It was hard. It's hard for a lot of people," said Moore.

The case is being prosecuted by the Georgia Attorney General's Office.

Source:

Atkinson County Judge Indicted After $430K goes missing

Steve Miller: Isolate, Medicate, Steal the Estate

Three Secrets Behind The Ongoing Stories Of Guardianship Fraud In Nevada And The Political Corruption That Enables The Scams To Continue Unabated

When INSIDE VEGAS stories get stuck in Nevada's judicial or political mud and progress seems at a stand still, I sometimes reveal a few behind the scenes secrets to try to jump start long needed action. This is one of those times.

In the ad nauseam story of local private guardian Jared E. Shafer, and the Clark County Family Court judges who enable him, many readers keep asking the same questions; "Why haven't these guys been prosecuted by the Clark County DA, Nevada AG, or US DOJ for (allegedly) exploiting wealthy court appointed elderly and disabled wards? And where's the Nevada Judicial Discipline Commission when we need them to go after the judges?" The following information may help answer these questions, but don't expect to be satisfied.

SECRET #1, Shafer's private files:
In October 2013, sixty pounds of original documents reportedly disappeared from the office of Professional Fiduciary Services of Nevada, Inc. (PFSN) on Pecos Road in Henderson. Without my prior knowledge, the documents packed in large cardboard banker's boxes mysteriously appeared on the public sidewalk in front of my house. When I first saw the unsealed boxes sitting there, I looked inside. They contained what I as an investigative commentator considered to be a treasure trove of potentially incriminating evidence about Jared Shafer whom I had been writing about since 1999. Included was an extensive file about what appeared to be an exploitative guardianship of multi-millionaire heiress Leann Peccole Goorjian. I never met Ms. Goorjian though I knew her late father Bill, and several of her closest friends, so I was very intrigued.

The documents and their source (whom I later confirmed) are protected under NRS 49.275, the Nevada Reporter's Shield Law.

I have waited until now to reveal the document's existence based on whether my having shared portions of them with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Abuse and Neglect Detail, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson, Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, and federal law enforcement authorities would hopefully inspire comprehensive investigations into what I believe is wide spread criminal guardianship fraud perpetrated against wealthy Southern Nevada retirees and disabled people. So far, the criminal investigations that have occurred were only local and yielded prosecutions of lower level operatives (low hanging fruit), while those who many believe are the masterminds - including several judges - have been allowed to remain unscathed.

The boxes placed on the public sidewalk contained hundreds of what appeared to me to be highly incriminating documents from Shafer's office including canceled checks, handwritten notes, and bank statements pertaining to the court ordered guardianships of a number of hapless, but wealthy, Las Vegas residents including the files of Leanne Peccole Goorjain who died in 2008 at age 51 while under the guardianship of Jared Shafer. After her death, his private records reflect a total of $432,043.00 Shafer paid to himself in "fees" starting with his first self-payment of $294,543.00 on August 4, 2009, eighteen months after Leann passed away,along with two payments of $12,500.00 each, one on March 28, 2013, and another on April 19, 2013, again for "fees." This does not include tens of thousands of dollars Shafer paid over a five year period to his personal attorneys including $4,230 to Elyse Tyrell, accountants, business partners, and other cronies for their "services" to the deceased woman. Here are just two examples of confidential documents from Shafer's office

Based on my knowledge of the Peccole family's good name and Leann's esteemed relatives who included a Clark County Commissioner and Sheriff, Nevada State Senator, and a billion dollar family owned land development company, and after the documents revealed that the majority of her personal holdings including a two million dollar hillside home somehow became the property of Jared Shafer, with full documentation in hand, I confidently authored the November 18, 2013, INSIDE VEGAS column "Grave Robbery Under Color Of Law."

SECRET #2, It's all legal if a judge approves:
Several months after my column appeared on AmericanMafia.com, I received an unsolicited email from CBS Sixty Minutes Senior Producer Bob Anderson.

He said he wanted to speak with me in confidence regarding my Leann Peccole Goorjian column.

The day following our brief phone conversation, Anderson flew to Las Vegas where we met for lunch. He asked me to promise not to talk about our meeting until after an initial Sixty Minutes segment on guardianship fraud had aired.

At the Macaroni Grill on West Sahara, Anderson grilled me about the Peccole case and specifically about her guardian Jared Shafer. Off the record I revealed that I had copies of confidential files from Shafer's office regarding the Peccole case and a number of others, and agreed to share copies of any pertinent documents with him and associate producer Aaron Weisz. Several weeks later, a CBS crew arrived in Las Vegas from New York. Their arrival did not escape local notice. I received a call from George Knapp, a reporter at the CBS affiliate in Las Vegas asking if I knew why Sixty Minutes was snooping around town asking about Jared Shafer. I said I had no comment.

Anderson and I secretly met several more times during the spring and summer of 2014 where he told me of his progress. He said he had obtained an in-prison interview with Patience Bristol, Shafer's assistant who had been convicted of elder exploitation, and was planning a possible "ambush" interview with Shafer at his Pecos Rd. office, a tactic Sixty Minutes is famous for. I was very excited to be a part of exposing what I considered immoral and illegal behavior, and eagerly awaited the planned October 2014 airing of Anderson's first-in-a-series Sixty Minutes story.

In September 2014, I received a call from Anderson. He sounded very despondent. I was told that the CBS News attorneys in New York thoroughly vetted his story and advised that no Nevada laws had been broken in any of the examples he planned to cite on Sixty Minutes. That in each case Anderson investigated, a Clark County Family Court Judge had signed off on Shafer's actions. ...

SECRET #3, "Shafer Laws," and those who passed or enforce them:
At this point you must be asking how this can take place in a civilized society?

Full Article and Source:
Isolate, Medicate, Steal the Estate

Dear CA Attorney General: Nursing Home Residents Need Your Attention

With the confirmation of Xavier Becerra as California’s new Attorney General, we have an opportunity to re-introduce our state’s top law enforcement agency to the problems in our state’s nursing homes.

For over ten years, the AG’s office has largely forsaken nursing home residents - contributing to a weak enforcement system that leads to poor care, broken promises, and victimized residents.

Call the AG’s office today to tell them we need their help in addressing abuse and neglect in nursing homes.

The AG’s public inquiry line is (800) 952-5225. 

Full Article and Source:
Dear New Attorney General:  Nursing Home Residents Need Your Attention

Contact 13: 4 indicted in unprecedented guardianship abuse case

by Darcy Spears:
What started with a Contact 13 investigation has led to hundreds of felony charges against four suspects for the way authorities say they treated people in their care.

This is the latest move in cases involving more than 150 victims and nearly $560,000 in stolen money.

It's the most significant guardianship exploitation indictment in Nevada's history -- so says Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt in what authorities hope will wipe out a long-standing crime wave in our state.

Cheers and fist pumps erupted in the Regional Justice Center lobby from a crowd of people who haven't had much to celebrate over the last few years.

On Wednesday, they went from victim to victor as April Parks, the woman who they say stole everything from their loved ones, was indicted.

April Parks

"Today, law enforcement sends a clear message to those who take advantage of our most vulnerable citizens," said Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson.

Contact 13 first exposed April Lynn Parks in early 2015 when she told Darcy Spears, "I do it because I love it," in reference to her work as a private, professional guardian.

Guardians are appointed by the court to protect and serve their wards. They're entrusted with every aspect of a person's life, including their health care and their money.

"I can't imagine a class of people more susceptible to criminals than wards of a court," said Wolfson.

Parks, her husband Gary Taylor, her attorney Noel Palmer Simpson and her office manager Mark Simmons are together facing 270 felony counts of perjury, racketeering, filing false records, theft and exploitation.

The charges involve more than 150 victims who've lost more than half a million dollars.

Authorities say Parks and her co-defendants used a position of trust and authority to prey on disabled, vulnerable people ranging in age from 40 to 90, and systematically bilk them out of their life savings.

"I've never been so happy in my life! All the thousands of hours and dollars I put into this was not in vain," said Elizabeth Indig, whose mother was one of Parks' wards.

So were Julie Belshe's parents -- Rudy and Rennie North. Contact 13 broke their story in February 2015.

"When I reached out to you I was very traumatized," said Belshe. "I didn't know what to do!"

As for Wednesday's indictments, Belshe says, "It restored my faith in the people, in the justice system -- that there are good people in our system that are working and they're on our side -- the citizens' side. Because you start to think, who's going to believe me? Because you tell these stories and they're unbelievable!"

"I really think this is going to send a very strong message to the other guardians and the attorneys and the judges who aided and abetted her in this," said Indig. "And I think maybe Nevada will be clean of this crime and people can move here and retire without fear of losing everything."

Source and News Video:
Four Indicted in Unprecedented Guardianship Abuse Case

Others indicted:

Charles Pascal's Email to Nevada Attorney General Paul Laxalt

To Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt:

2/14/17

In 1992 your grandfather Senator Laxalt assisted me when I was living in Carson City, Nevada. I was appreciative for the assistance provided by the former Nevada Senator. Today I’m writing you about what appears to me to be a serious inconsistency in the law.

After reading the February 10, 2017 article regarding the disciplinary proceedings being conducted against Justice of the Peace Melanie Andress-Tobiasson, it became clear that I should bring this matter to your attention.

In 2009 my mother-in-law, Marcy E. DuDeck, was kidnapped by her son, Lance DuDeck. She was taken against her wishes to Nevada. The kidnapping was committed against an existing Nevada court order, which stated my mother-in-law, Ms. DuDeck was to remain in California at Sunrise Senior Assisted living for the rest of her life.

After the kidnapping, Commissioner Jon W. Norheim delayed in filing his ruling to return Ms. DuDeck to the California residence, which was previously ordered by Norheim’s Clark County Family Court in May of 2007. Please note Commissioner Norheim himself wrote the 2007 court order which he violated. Commissioner Norheim’s failure to act on behalf of Mrs. DuDeck clearly demonstrated his intent not to enforce his own court order.

Mrs. DuDeck became ill as a result of this kidnapping and died alone at Del Mar Gardens in Las Vegas. The kidnapping was conducted on August 4, 2009, which was two days before a California evidentiary hearing was to take place in a Los Angeles County Court. The hearing would have exposed numerous disturbing facts about Mrs. DuDeck’s guardian, Jared E. Shafer, revealing that Mr. Shafer failed to pay IRS taxes for the DuDeck estate, that he billed the estate for visits which never occurred, testimony to the fact that Mr. Shafer himself bragged about ordering the kidnapping, witnesses to statements made by Mr. Shafer that he was bragging about bribing judges and the fact that Patience Bristol, who was not a licensed guardian at the time, was being paid from the DuDeck estate for guardian services when she was not Ms. DuDeck’s guardian. As you probably know, Bristol is serving a three to eight year sentence in state prison for exploitation of senior citizens.

By revealing our story in the beginning of this email will illustrate the main point, which I’m about to argue, which states that LGBTQ citizens are granted more civil rights than other citizens.

Justice of the Peace Melanie Andress-Tobiasson was involved in a case involving LGBTQ rights. Judge Tobiasson is facing the type of accountability for her actions which victims of families, who do not fall into the LGBTQ category, have been demanding from Nevada for close to a decade. The disciplinary proceedings filed against Justice of the Peace Melanie Andress-Tobiasson sends a strong signal to families who do not fall into the LGBTQ category. It appears families who are not LGBTQ are not provided the same rights as those citizens who fall into the LGBTQ category.

Commissioner Norheim has not faced accountability for his failure to enforce the law in our case and in many other cases I’m familiar with. Jason Hanson is still waiting for justice. Becky Olvera Schultz is suing in a federal court to recover moneys paid from her father’s estate without court orders. In the Olvera case, Commissioner Norheim stated in a court video that he wouldn’t enforce NRS Chapter 160 pertaining to veterans when Mr. Olvera was a WW2 veteran.

When Commissioner Norheim refused to enforce NRS Chapter 160, did he rule this way because Olvera wasn’t LGBTQ? Could this be the reason why the law was never enforced to protect veteran Mr. Olvera?

The North family lost everything as a result of actions by another guardian, April Parks. Elizabeth Indig’s mother is another individual who lost everything and has never received justice. All of the cases listed above are not LGBTQ.

The Supreme Court’s guardianship commission to look into guardian abuses in Nevada has resulted in no arrests or convictions of professional guardians or disciplinary actions against any Family Court judges. Unfortunately, Justice of the Peace Melanie Andress-Tobiasson will face punitive action for her failure to apply the law.

This letter to your office will be widely published as well as your answer to it. I sincerely hope equal justice will be applied to citizens who are not LGBTQ.

~Charles P. Pascal

Marcy and Charlie

See Also: NASGA: Marcy DuDeck, NV/CA

Steve Miller: Senator Schumer Asked To Reconsider His Appointment To Senate Special Committee On Aging

LAS VEGAS - Nevada families of elderly persons who were exploited by unscrupulous court appointed private guardians are sending emails to United States Senator Charles Schumer asking him to reconsider his appointment of newly elected Nevada U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez-Masto to the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

Most of the emails contain complaints stating that Sen. Cortez-Masto, as Nevada Attorney General ignored numerous requests from wards of Nevada Family Courts or their family members asking the A.G. for assistance in ending exploitative guardianships.

"Based on Senator Cortez-Masto’s long history of not protecting seniors while acting as former Nevada Attorney General, I thought I should provide you with information pertaining to Senator Cortez-Masto’s previous record with respect to protecting the rights of senior citizens who reside in her state," declared the family of an exploited senior citizen.

Another email states; "Senator Cortez-Masto is not an appropriate person to serve on this committee due to her track record of protecting the people who are now under investigation for exploiting senior citizens and disabled persons who were under court appointed guardianships. The victim families who suffered this experience believe that Senator Cortez-Masto allowed abuse of the judicial process to run out of control on her watch."

Family members of persons under Nevada court appointed guardianship have long complained that guardian abuse causes billions of dollars in government waste because court appointed exploiters take the elderly’s life savings and then reduce their "wards" to receiving government aid during their final years when many persons under guardianship have adequate savings or assets to cover their housing and medical costs.

"The removed funds went into the pockets of guardians, their attorneys and other enablers who profited at the expense of an entire nation," stated Charles Pascal whose mother in law Marcy Dudeck allegedly lost $1.4 million dollars while she was under the guardianship of Nevada court appointed private guardian Jared E. Shafer.

Many families say they wrote to A.G. Cortez-Masto's office in Carson City seeking help to save their loved ones from financial, mental, emotional, and physical abuse suffered under the guardianship of Shafer, April Parks, Patience Bristol, and other professional and public guardians in Nevada.

Shafer and Parks are currently under investigation by state and federal law enforcement agencies. Bristol was recently released from the Nevada State Prison after being convicted of elder exploitation while she was employed by Shafer.

One letter to then-Nevada A.G. Cortez-Masto pleaded for help to free 90 year old World War Two hero Guadalupe Olvera from an abusive, financially exploitative, and unnecessary Shafer guardianship. The letter was answered by Cortez-Masto's office with a generic form letter referring Olvera's daughter to agencies she'd already reached out to without success.

Mr. Olvera's plea became the basis of a political TV ad aired throughout Nevada in opposition to Cortez-Masto's candidacy for U.S. Senate. It was later discovered that Jared Shafer was a close friend of Cortez-Masto's late father Manny Cortez who as a County Commissioner in 1976 appointed Shafer to his first job as the Clark County Public Guardian.

At the end of one email to Sen. Schumer, the author stated; "If Senator Cortez-Masto did not protect seniors while serving as Nevada’s Attorney General, she will not be able to serve as a productive member of the Special Committee On Aging. I respectfully request that Senator Cortez-Masto be removed from this committee."

The writer then refers Sen. Schumer to the following list of documents:
https://fpaction.org/freedom-partners-launches-new-ad-showing-how-catherine-cortez-masto-let-down-nevada-seniors/ http://freebeacon.com/politics/families-abused-nevada-seniors-blame-politics-senate-hopefuls-inaction/ https://fpaction.org/new-ad-shows-how-catherine-cortez-masto-ignored-pleas-for-help-from-family-taken-advantage-of-by-nevadas-guardianship-program/ http://www.reviewjournal.com/politics/election-2016/new-senate-ad-accuses-cortez-masto-failing-help-senior http://nasga-stopguardianabuse.blogspot.com/2016/05/steve-miller-ignored-letter-to-nevada.html http://stopguardianabuse.org/victim-profiles/lupe-olvera-nvca/ http://www.americanmafia.com/Inside_Vegas/8-29-16_Inside_Vegas.html

If you wish to comment on the appointment of Sen. Cortez-Masto to the Committee on Aging, Sen. Schumer's email address is: rocint@schumer.senate.gov

~Steve Miller

Email Letter to Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt

From: Becky Olvera Schultz [mailto:]
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2017 12:16 PM
To: aginfo@ag.nv.gov
Subject: Lack of Professional Guardianship Prosecutions

Attorney General Adam Laxalt,

I’ve always been one of your strongest advocates. After the 2014 election, your office accomplished more than any agency in Nevada in dealing with guardian abuse.

Unfortunately, your progress has stalled. We have received reports regarding the cases your office is currently prosecuting in Northern Nevada. The prosecutions are against family members, not professional or public guardians, who have taken advantage of seniors. These prosecutions do not include any of the notorious guardians in Clark County. It appears there is a hunt for easy targets in Northern Nevada for family members who are using small amounts of their elder’s funds. If we compare these cases to the financial exploitation now occurring in Clark County, NV, by guardians including Jared E. Shafer, April Parks, Denise Comastro, their attorneys and family court judges, the conclusion appears to be the system will not tackle this problem.

This is an excellent start but these cases send a message reinforcing the professional guardian’s point of view which states only the “families” are causing this problem. The message has up to this point changed the focus from the problem guardians we are attempting to bring to justice back toward the families. Professional guardians have been using this message as a shield, which allows them to plunder estates. Professional guardian/former public guardian, Jared E. Shafer, made a statement illustrating this point at one of the guardian commission meetings in Las Vegas.

Your office has failed to go after professional guardians including Jared E. Shafer and April Parks. It appears the cases which have been presented as of this date are in the category of low hanging fruit. The perpetrators appear to be of the garden variety types who simply do not have the tools to fight back.

Charles Pascal, who had the unfortunate experience of having his mother-in-law, Marcy DuDeck, kidnapped through orders given by Jared E. Shafer, has relayed the nature of many conversations he had with this guardian. According to Pascal, Shafer told him that he along with other guardians bribed judges and attorneys and guaranteed that nothing would ever be done because there were large amounts of money involved. Pascal has told many of us that Shafer taunted him into filing complaints because he wanted to show Pascal that nothing would ever be done. And, after all these years of Pascal, myself and others filing complaints with every available agency, nothing has been done. Pascal has been giving this information to victims since 2010 and it appears what Shafer told him is sadly the ugly truth.

The Las Vegas Voice in their current February 2017 issue wrote a harsh article concerning the performance of your office along with that of District Attorney, Steve Wolfson. Many of your strongest supporters are beginning to believe the crack down on guardian abuse is turning into a dog and pony show. I’m having a very difficult time convincing victims this is not true and I am quickly losing faith. Sadly, I have to now agree with this article in that only the “low hanging fruit” is being picked and for what Shafer and Parks would consider “pocket change”.

The specific lack of inaction by your office concerns in particular, guardian April Parks. Judge Allf in Clark County family court recently ruled that Parks indeed took money under wrongful pretenses from Elizabeth Indig, a first from a judge from that Kangaroo Court. Unfortunately, your office along with D.A. Wolfson failed to follow through on the family court ruling.

Another victim, Kristina Berger, is suing Shafer and the trial is this April. She was the victim who had money stolen from her by Shafer’s employee, Patience Bristol, who was convicted. Bristol worked for Shafer and used his office, computer, phone, email, business cards and was under his supervision. The IRS would define Bristol as an employee, but Shafer has yet to suffer repercussions in this matter. Bristol will be released this November unless she is given parole this June 4th.

In the North’s case, we have an unqualified doctor and her employee being sued for submitting false documents to the court declaring both Norths to be incompetent when in fact both were competent. This doctor worked with April Parks to gain control of this couple. Since your office is infatuated with low hanging fruit, this is a ripe plum ready for the picking.

Inquiring minds want to know why April Parks has not been charged with a single crime when you have the North’s case and the Indig case with evidence of exploitation. It’s been over a year since April Park’s home, office and storage was raided, yet she remains a free woman out of state. Why has Shafer been allowed to crawl away into his home, close up his guardian office and live as a free man off my father’s money along with the huge sums of money he has bragged about taking from hundreds of victims since 1979?

We were told that indictments would occur by the election in November 2016, in particular the Jason Hanson case. Unfortunately nothing happened. Then we were told something would take place by the end of 2016. The year ended with no cases being filed. The North’s daughter, Julie Belshe, spoke with D.A. Wolfson recently and now the story is “the end of 2017”. Unfortunately, Mr. Shafer’s words about nothing being done, grows louder in our minds. This delay could go on indefinitely. Yet, a few non-professional family guardians are being prosecuted for “pocket change” for taking advantage of one person while Shafer and Parks exploited hundreds of victims to the tune of millions or possibly more?

Our patience is growing very thin waiting to see justice for all this professional guardian exploitation that has racked in millions, if not billions in the last nearly 30 years. This is money that is pumped into the Nevada economy so we all wonder if the real agenda is for officials to make sure this cash flow is not interrupted.

I will continue to support your office, however this task is becoming increasingly more difficult as each week goes by.

Sincerely,
Becky Olvera Schultz
Daughter of Shafer victim, Guadalupe Olvera

Becky and Lupe

Marcy and Charlie

See Also:
NASGA: Lupe Olvera
NASGA: Marcy E. Dudeck

Pennsylvania Sues Nursing Home Chain Alleging Poor Care and False Advertising

AG Bruce Beemer

Attorney General Bruce Beemer announced Friday that his office has filed a lawsuit a Pittsburgh-based nursing home chain, alleging that it failed to provide basic care, falsified records, and billed the Commonwealth and residents for services never provided.

The lawsuit, filed against 12 nursing homes owned by Grane Healthcare Co., accuses the company of violating the Commonwealth’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law for misrepresenting the care and staffing it promised residents.

“These alleged misrepresentations not only deceived the residents of these facilities, but Grane’s business practices also degraded residents and increased the risk of negative health consequences,” Beemer said in a statement. “We believe there is ample evidence that these facilities fell far short when it came to providing essential services.”

The lawsuit against Grane is one of several that the attorney general has filed since last summer against Pennsylvania nursing homes. In October, Beemer announced a $2 million settlement with the Reliant nursing home chain. A lawsuit against the Golden Living chain is still pending.

According to the attorney general’s lawsuit, Grane advertised to customers that it strives for high staff-to-patient ratios and that sicker residents will get more care. The office says those claims were deceptive, misleading and unfair.

Its allegations include:
*Incontinent residents were not checked and changed for hours, leaving them in wet and soiled clothing and bedding.
*Continent residents were not given timely assistance for using restrooms, causing them to urinate and defecate in their clothes.
*Because of inadequate staffing, showers were skipped, residents were left in their pajamas all day, and residents who needed help eating weren’t fed.
*Staff excessively and inappropriately used pharmacological drugs to restrain residents.
*Records were falsified to show residents got care they never received.

Full Article and Source:
Pennsylvania Sues Nursing Home Chain Alleging Poor Care and False Advertising

National Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in Charges Against 301 Individuals for Approximately $900m in False Billing

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell announced today an unprecedented nationwide sweep led by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force in 36 federal districts, resulting in criminal and civil charges against 301 individuals, including 61 doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud schemes involving approximately $900 million in false billings. Twenty-three state Medicaid Fraud Control Units also participated in today’s arrests. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is suspending payment to a number of providers using its suspension authority provided in the Affordable Care Act. This coordinated takedown is the largest in history, both in terms of the number of defendants charged and loss amount.

Attorney General Lynch and Secretary Burwell were joined in the announcement by Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, FBI Associate Deputy Director David Bowdich, Inspector General Daniel Levinson of the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), Acting Director Dermot O’Reilly of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), and Deputy Administrator and Director of CMS Center for Program Integrity Shantanu Agrawal M.D.

The defendants announced today are charged with various health care fraud-related crimes, including conspiracy to commit health care fraud, violations of the anti-kickback statutes, money laundering and aggravated identity theft. The charges are based on a variety of alleged fraud schemes involving various medical treatments and services, including home health care, psychotherapy, physical and occupational therapy, durable medical equipment (DME) and prescription drugs. More than 60 of the defendants arrested are charged with fraud related to the Medicare prescription drug benefit program known as Part D, which is the fastest-growing component of the Medicare program overall.

“As this takedown should make clear, health care fraud is not an abstract violation or benign offense – It is a serious crime,” said Attorney General Lynch. “The wrongdoers that we pursue in these operations seek to use public funds for private enrichment. They target real people – many of them in need of significant medical care. They promise effective cures and therapies, but they provide none. Above all, they abuse basic bonds of trust – between doctor and patient; between pharmacist and doctor; between taxpayer and government – and pervert them to their own ends. The Department of Justice is determined to continue working to ensure that the American people know that their health care system works for them – and them alone.”

Full Article and Source:
National Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in Charges Against 301 Individuals for Approximately $900m in False Billing