Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced May 17, 2024 a Montague
caregiver is facing up to four years in prison for alleged Medicaid
fraud. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP, File)
By Rose White
LANSING,
MI - A Montague woman is facing prison time after she allegedly lied
about providing in-home care to collect Medicaid dollars.
Julia
Bland, 28, was arraigned at Ingham County’s 54-B District Court Friday,
May 17 on one count of Medicaid fraud, a four-year felony, according to
a news release from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Bland, who was employed by GT Independence to provide in-home services
for a Medicaid recipient, is accused of submitting false claims between
Feb. 23 and July 13, 2023. These claims were then paid by the Medicaid
program.
Investigators
found Bland used a smartphone app to report the dates and hours she
provided services, according to the attorney general’s office. But the
app’s GPS location data shows Bland allegedly submitted claims for
services when she was not in the area of the Medicaid beneficiary’s
home.
Ingham County Judge Molly Hennessey Greenwalt issued Bland a $50,000 bond.
“Providing
Medicaid-funded in-home care is critical to keeping vulnerable people
in their own homes as long as possible,” said Nessel. “Caregivers who
use the program to commit fraud will be held accountable.”
The
Michigan Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud Division, a state and
federally funded program, investigated this case. About 75% of the
division’s funding comes from a $5.5 million grant from the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. The remaining 25% totaling $1.8
million is funded by the state.
Bland will next appear in court for a probable cause conference on May 31.
JEFFERSON
COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — A Brockway woman is in jail after she allegedly
stole nearly $200,000 from an elderly man who was in her care, according
to police.
Kelly
Wright, 55, is facing felony charges after she allegedly exploited an
86-year-old man, according to a report from the Brookville Police
Department. Wright transferred nearly $200,000 from the victim in April
of 2023.
The transfers were as follows:
On 4/21/23: $101,504.11 was transferred from the victim’s account to Wright’s account
On 4/28/23: $97,939.08 was transferred from the victim’s account to Wright’s account
According
to the criminal complaint, on April 26 the victim signed their power of
attorney over to Wright after his physician found him to be in a
“mental state of incapacitation” due to memory loss among several
cognitive and physical issues. The first transfer that Wright did was
before she had obtained power of attorney from the victim, according to
the complaint.
Wright
allegedly told a representative with the Jefferson County Area of
Agenngy that after the transactions were made, she then cashed out the
money and gave it to the victim. Officers reached out to Wright to set
up an interview. On two separate occasions, she failed to show up to
those interviews, according to police. Wright failed to show proof of
having used the funds for the victim or the estate of the victim.
According to the
criminal complaint, officers obtained the warrants to search Wright’s
personal accounts. The accounts showed that Wright had taken the money
from the victim and allegedly used it to pay off her loans.
Wright
is in Jefferson County Prison after being unable to post 10% of her
$200,000 bail. She is facing felony charges of financial exploitation of
an older adult or care-dependent person, theft by failing to make
required disposition of funds and theft by unlawful taking.
She has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 27.
Elaine Hall never got to wear a white wedding dress and a veil when she married her first husband at 18.
Seventy years later, after reconnecting and falling in love with her childhood crush, she had a second chance to get the traditional wedding she always wanted.
“I
kept saying at 88, maybe I shouldn’t wear a veil. My daughters said,
‘Mom, quit trying not to look like a bride. You’re a bride. We’re going
to do the whole thing,’” Hall tells TODAY.com.
“When I got up there to him, he said to me, ‘You look so beautiful.’”
Hall wanted a wedding dress and a veil for the ceremony. Courtesy Maddy Godt Photography
He
is Roland Passaro, also 88. The couple married in Palm Coast, Florida,
on March 23, the second marriage for both. They first met 74 years
earlier in junior high school and were each other’s first big crushes
before going their separate ways.
“When I saw her in 9th
grade, I thought she was very beautiful and exciting. … I thought she
was, I guess in today’s parlance, quite hot,” Passaro tells TODAY.com.
He
says he felt the same way when he saw Hall walking down the aisle in
her white wedding dress and veil: “All this time later, I thought she
was just as beautiful, just as exciting.”
It’s possible to fall in love at any age, they want others to know.
The newlyweds celebrate with their family.Courtesy Maddy Godt Photography
Apart for 50 years
Hall and Passaro attended the same junior high school in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1950.
She
was a cheerleader and he was a star athlete on the baseball team so
they often bumped into each other. Hall recalls that Passaro was
handsome and very popular, and that she felt a chemistry with him.
The teens socialized at parties and dances, but never dated.
After
high school, Hall married another man at 18 in a no-frills ceremony.
The military was sending him to Germany, and the couple was in a hurry
to get married before then. She wore a blue sun dress that was pretty,
but not the white wedding gown she had envisioned.
She
had three children and worked at the local newspaper. The marriage
didn’t work, and Hall got divorced in 1975. She was single for the next
28 years.
“I always had a special place in my heart for
Roland all through those years,” Hall recalls. “I often wondered how he
was, if he was happy, had a good life.”
Passaro,
meanwhile, went to college after high school and played professional
baseball, but a spinal injury ended his athletic career. He married
another woman, had three sons and moved to Miami to work for an airline.
In 2002, tragedy struck: His wife and one of his sons died within 10
months of each other.
The next year, in 2003, both Hall
and Passaro attended their 50th high school reunion in Allentown,
Pennsylvania. He came from Miami and she from Atlantic City, New Jersey,
where she bought a condo after retiring.
They recognized each other right away, felt their familiar chemistry and exchanged email addresses. At the end of the night, he spontaneously kissed her.
Passaro and Hall at their 50th high school reunion in 2003 where they reconnected.Courtesy Elaine Hall
Soon,
they were talking on the phone for hours and emailing every day. Over
the next months, the conversations became romantic and she visited him
in Florida. By Christmas 2004, Hall moved in with Passaro in Miami.
'What do you think about getting married?'
They enjoyed their relationship, but didn’t discuss marriage for almost 20 years.
When people first met them, they always asked the silver-haired couple: “How long have you two been married?”
After somebody asked them yet again in late 2022, Hall turned to Passaro and said, “What do you think about getting married?” He replied, “I think we should.”
They
exchanged vows at the gated community where they live, with family a
big part of the wedding. Passaro’s son Jim, an ordained minister in the
Universal Life Church, performed the ceremony. His other son was his
best man.
Hall’s son died in 2021, so her two daughters walked her down the aisle. The couple’s great-granddaughters were flower girls.
Neither expected to fall in love later in life, but both emphasize it’s absolutely possible.
“It’s wonderful” to be newlyweds as they approach 90, Passaro says.
“I feel the same way as I did at 15,” Hall adds. “I still get the butterflies. I just love him so much.”
To stay healthy in their late 80s, they golf at least twice a week and walk
as much as they can. Passaro also exercises at home, including push-ups
and sit-ups every night. “You’ve got to keep moving,” he says. “The
real deal is not to sit down on the sofa and stay there the rest of your
life.”
They read to each other and do puzzles to keep their brains sharp. Good genes play a role, too: Passaro’s parents both lived into their 90s, and Hall’s father did as well.
She’s still surprised by the power of love at any age.
“I
thought I had my life all figured out. Retire to the beach, (be with)
my friends and my family. But when it did happen, to me it was pure and
simple chemistry,” Hall says.
Chief Administrative Judge Joseph Zayas and First Deputy Chief
Administrative Judge Norman St. George announced the launch of the
Unified Court System’s (UCS) new Guardianship in New York Resource
Webpage on Tuesday.
The website aims to provide
important information about guardianships and alternatives, helping to
protect vulnerable individuals from harm and exploitation.
The online resource offers comprehensive information
on the guardianship process, including informational videos with
subtitles in multiple languages, a glossary of commonly used terms, and
links to essential resources for appointed guardians.
The creation of the Guardianship Resource Webpage was funded by
a nearly $1,000,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Administration for Community Living. Additional components of
the grant include the development of a guardianship-specific module in
the court system’s case management system and the creation of standard
motion and order templates commonly used in guardianship cases.
The initiative aims to modernize and enhance guardianship
proceedings in New York State. Partners in this endeavor include Project
Guardianship and JASA.
“Cases involving guardianship of persons who are unable to care
for their personal needs or property are very serious matters,” said
Chief Administrative Judge Zayas. “While guardianships should be
considered a last resort, they are, in certain circumstances, necessary
to protect vulnerable New Yorkers from financial exploitation or other
abuse. The new website is an excellent resource, providing critical
information and tools for appointed guardians, other court users, and
the public at large, bringing greater understanding to this complex
issue.”
First Deputy Chief Administrative Judge St. George highlighted
the user-friendly nature of the site, which includes a wealth of
information and links to various resources. He noted that the site is
designed to help family, friends, and caregivers navigate the
guardianship process and explore social services options and
alternatives to guardianship.
Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Edwina Richardson, who
oversees the Office for Justice Initiatives and this grant project,
commended the court system’s efforts. She emphasized that making courts
more approachable for New Yorkers promotes access to justice and
expressed gratitude to the judges, non-judicial personnel, and
guardianship professionals involved in the project.
Kimberly George, president and CEO of Project Guardianship,
expressed enthusiasm for the new resource, noting that New Yorkers have
long needed a place to get clear yet detailed information on Article 81
guardianship. Donna Dougherty, JASA’s senior director of legal services
for elder justice, added that the new website is an important step
towards advancing equal justice for New Yorkers.
Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for New York City Courts
Deborah Kaplan, who chairs the New York State Judicial Committee on
Elder Justice, praised the new website. She noted that with a growing
number of older New Yorkers, the need for guardianships is likely to
increase.
Guardianship grants a person or organization the legal
authority to make decisions for someone unable to do so due to serious
illness, disability, or other conditions. In New York, there are three
types of guardianship: Article 81 for incapacitated adults, which
tailors the guardian’s powers to the person’s needs; Article 17-A for
adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities, granting broader
decision-making powers; and guardianship of a child, for cases where
parents cannot care for the child.
Executive producer tells I-Team she wants to educate viewers
For more than a decade, ABC Action News
investigative reporter Adam Walser and photojournalist Randy Wright have
exposed problems with court-ordered guardianship in our ongoing series
“The Price of Protection”. Guardianship is supposed to protect
vulnerable seniors, but the I-Team has uncovered it often leads to
isolation, exploitation, and abuse. The topic is at the center of a
movie premiering on Lifetime Network Saturday.
By:
Adam Walser
HOLLYWOOD, CA — For
more than a decade, ABC Action News investigative reporter Adam Walser
and photojournalist Randy Wright have exposed problems with
court-ordered guardianship in our ongoing series “The Price of Protection”.
Guardianship
is supposed to protect vulnerable seniors, but the I-Team has uncovered
it often leads to isolation, exploitation, and abuse.
The topic is at the center of a movie premiering on Lifetime Network Saturday.
Adam
spoke with the movie’s producer about how she hopes the fictional story
will educate viewers about the real-life dangers of guardianship.
The movie is called “The Bad Guardian” and stars Melissa Joan Hart and La La Anthony.
“The
one way that I saw there was somewhat of a pattern of people getting
their loved ones out was through the press, people like you who were
shining a light on this story,” said the movie’s executive producer Elizabeth Stephen.
She said she spent years researching guardianship abuse.
“Every
single turn of events is true. It's all real. And, you know, it's
shocking. I mean, I was looking at some of your pieces this morning, and
it reminded me that this is the stuff that really happens,” Stephen
said. “What happens is they get into the system, and then, as you know,
it's almost impossible to get out.”
She said the fictional story
comes from real-life accounts of abusive guardianship she learned about
in press accounts or from people who work in organizations to protect
vulnerable seniors from abuse.
“It's just shocking. Anybody that I
watched the film with, they all talk back to the screen, and they look
at me and say, No, this couldn't happen. No,” Stephen said.
The movie airs on Lifetime Saturday at 8 p.m.
If you or your family is a victim of a predatory guardianship, contact the I-Team at adam@abcactionnews.com
An Eldridge couple was in custody Friday after police allege they stole thousands from an older relative, court documents say.
Cassandra Lynn Crafton, Miles Dwayne Crafton (Scott County Jail)
Miles Crafton, 34, faces felony charges of financial exploitation of
an older individual – first offense, ongoing criminal conduct – unlawful
activity, first-degree theft and money laundering – acquire property,
and serious misdemeanor charges of possession of controlled substance –
marijuana – second offense and unlawful possession of a prescription
drug, court records show.
Cassandra Crafton, 33, faces felony charges of financial exploitation
of an older individual – first offense, ongoing criminal conduct –
unlawful activity, money laundering – make property available, and
first-degree theft, court records show.
Eldridge Police conducted an investigation based upon ongoing
criminal conduct by means of theft, and financial exploitation of an
older person (a relative,) according to arrest affidavits.
Cassandra Crafton is accused of stealing money from a relative,
police allege in affidavits, which show between the dates of Nov. 1,
2022, and April 30, 2024, Cassandra Crafton took and spent about
$34,187.95 for personal gain while her husband, Miles Crafton, took and
spent about $22,599.10, affidavits show.
Cassandra Crafton “unlawfully electronically
wire-transferred the stolen money to Miles through a cash app account
while Miles Crafton also received the funds through his cash app
account,” according to affidavits. Total loss was $56,787.05.
“When Miles was being arrested, he was found in possession of
prescription medication not prescribed to him and he was in possession
of a THC vape,” police say in affidavits.
Miles Crafton is being held on a $72,000 bond in Scott County Jail,
where Cassandra Crafton is being held on a $70,000 bond. Both are set
for preliminary hearings May 24 in Scott County Court.
Melissa Joan Hart plays a daughter on a mission to save her father in the new Lifetime movie The Bad Guardian,
premiering May 18. Leigh, played by Hart, is shocked to learn her
elderly father has been put under the control of a court-appointed
guardian (La La Anthony)
after a fall. In her TV Insider interview, Hart reveals she was stunned
by what she learned about guardianships while filming the movie.
“The story just seemed unbelievable to me,” Hart tells TV Insider.
“First of all, that this is happening all across our nation and that
there’s this corruption within this guardianship. It’s a $2.9 billion
business, so I was just fascinated to learn all this and to see how
people would struggle with this.”
She adds, “Of course, we know the stories of Britney Spears and Wendy Williams
that are going through these conservatorships or guardianships, but in
their cases they’re high-profile women that are young and trying to get
themselves out of it.”
This deep dive into guardianships was “all brand-new information” for
Hart. “I was aware of the Britney Spears situation but that seemed very
different,” she explains. “That was her own father coming in and
putting her in a conservatorship, and then her trying to break out of
that and the whole Free Britney thing. It was almost like the opposite
of this story in a sense. That’s the only kind of understanding I had of
a guardianship before the movie.”
In The Bad Guardian,
Leigh and her family don’t have the money to “fight the big fight
against the corruption that happens in a lot of these cases and how
someone can move in and take over a family member and take over
everything from their medical decisions to their bank accounts to their
home, their property, everything. I really like the idea of shedding
light on this and maybe helping people find some information to find a
way out of it.”
Leigh’s fight for her father and exposing this bad guardianship reminded Hart of “Erin Brockovich
about a small town woman trying to fight the system. That’s what I
really loved about playing this character. Leigh was trying to navigate
this big, crazy world that’s been going on for a while and nobody’s
really cracked the case, so here she is trying to save her family.”
The Sabrina the Teenage Witch
alum believes “there’s a place for guardianships” in certain
situations. “There’s definitely people out there that need someone to
advocate for them or make decisions for the,” or “they don’t have a
family member that can help out,” Hart notes. “But anywhere there’s a
lot of money, there’s power and greed and corruption. I feel like that’s
the story we’re telling.”
A DeKalb County jury found a man guilty last week of a
sexual offense involving an elderly woman who was incapable of
consenting due to incapacity, according to Ninth Judicial Circuit
District Attorney Summer Summerford.
Donald Vester
Robbins Jr., was found guilty May 8 of first-degree sexual abuse. A
sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 12 before Judge Jeremy Taylor.
Robbins faces a statutory sentence length of one year and one day-10 years in prison for the Class C felony.
During
the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Robbins subjected the
elderly victim to sexual contact, and evidence that the victim was
unable to consent to such sexual contact because she had dementia.
“We must take special care of those in our community who are the most vulnerable,” Summerford said.
“The elderly members of our community helped take care of all of us as we grew up. Now, it is time for us to take care of them.
“For someone to take advantage of an elderly person’s mental decline is reprehensible. My office will do everything we can to bring such individuals to justice,” said Summerford.
The
case was investigated by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office and
prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Stanna Guice and Matt Green.
Wendy
Williams’ cherished Manhattan penthouse, once hailed as her dream
abode, has been sold off by her guardian, The Post has learned.
The
transaction, which closed on May 10, occurred only several years after
Williams acquired the Financial District property. It’s also the latest
chapter in Williams’ ongoing legal and personal challenges after being
diagnosed in 2023 with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal
dementia.
Records
accessed by The Post indicate that Williams, 59, was deemed
“incapacitated,” thus necessitating the involvement of a guardian in the
decision-making process regarding the sale of her residence.
The
three-bedroom, three-bathroom penthouse traded hands for $3.75 million,
marking a considerable decrease of $822,000 from its purchase price in
July 2021.
An
insider close to Williams lamented her circumstances, telling The Post,
“Wendy’s dream has always been to live in Manhattan in a dream
apartment but never got a chance to do so. It is a very unfortunate
situation.”
Prior to the
sale, Williams divested herself of all personal belongings housed within
the property, including her iconic purple chair, a fixture synonymous
with her provocative “Hot Topics” segment that captivated audiences for
years.
Meanwhile, at the same time that Williams was selling off her belongings, she was also dealing with a hefty tax problem.
She owed more than half a million dollars in unpaid taxes, which resulted in a federal tax lien. Legal documents revealed that her New York City condo, purchased for $4.5 million in 2021, was affected by this lien.
Speculation had arisen regarding Williams’ potential relocation to sunny Los Angeles.
But a separate source speaking to Page Six did not know if she would actually go through with it.
“She
was asking how to sell her stuff with ‘The Real Real,’ but I don’t
think she’s actually moving to Los Angeles. She seems so unwell.”
Spanning
more than 2,400 square feet, Williams’ former FiDi residence boasts
luxurious amenities characteristic of Manhattan’s elite living spaces.
The main level has a
spacious living/dining room area, an open kitchen replete with custom
stained walnut cabinetry, granite countertops, and top-of-the-line Miele
and Sub-Zero appliances.
The
upper level has the primary suite, adorned with an ensuite five-fixture
bath boasting opulent marble accents and state-of-the-art fixtures.
In
addition to its lavish interiors, the building has an array of
amenities, including a fitness center and a Water Club featuring a
60-foot lap pool, a sauna, a steam room and a Jacuzzi.
The Post has reached out to Williams’ reps for comment.
Williams’
personal and professional struggles have been well-documented over the
past year, culminating in her absence from public view following the
conclusion of her talk show in 2022.
A
series of health issues — also including Graves’ Disease and lymphedema
— prompted the appointment of a financial guardian to oversee her
affairs, with Williams also seeking treatment for “severe alcohol use”
at a rehabilitation facility in Malibu.
