to stealing from residents

Staff Report

A Troy woman will spend the next two years on probation after pleading guilty to charges of stealing from residents of Pike Manor Health Care Center.

Yolanda G. Maddox, 45, pleaded guilty to second-degree theft of property, which is a Class C felony, in Pike County Circuit Court on January 3.

She was sentenced to two years imprisonment, which was suspended upon the condition she serve two years probation and make full restitution to her victims.

Maddox allegedly stole almost $600 from residents of the nursing home, where she was employed as a social services aide.

As a social services aide, one of Maddox’s duties was to purchase personal items for residents of the nursing home.

She admitted to using money from the patients’ trust fund to buy clothing and other personal items, then returning and exchanging them for merchandise for herself. For example, she bought house dresses and other goods that appeared suitable for nursing home residents, providing the receipts to the business office for money used from the patients’ trust fund. She later exchanged these purchases for materials, such as cologne, linens and more expensive clothing for her own use.

"This defendant not only took money that did not belong to her, but she raided the meager funds of nursing home residents who had little choice, but to trust and depend on her for a simple service ­ taking their money to make purchases they could no longer make for themselves," Attorney General Bill Pryor said. "Thanks to the vigilance of store employees and the integrity of the nursing home administration, she did not get away with her crime and the victims will get their money back."

The crime was discovered after a Wal-Mart employee contacted the nursing home about frequent returns made without a receipt. The administrator of the nursing home, where Maddox had been employed since 1990, referred the matter to the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

Assistant Attorney General Bruce Lieberman said the incidents occurred between March and July of last year.

Pryor commended the staff of his Medicaid Fraud Unit, which presented evidence to the Pike County Grand Jury on Nov. 14, resulting in Maddox being indicted. The case was investigated by Elizabeth Hamilton, chief auditor of the unit and was prosecuted by Lieberman, director of the unit.