Fraudsters like to live the high life. Luxurious living, all-expense paid vacations, and designer brand purchases are just a few things criminals use to justify fraud and victimize others just so they can live comfortably.
Mable Jones, 78, is the former owner of a Richmond, Va., assisted living facility and perpetrator of a $800,000 healthcare fraud scheme that stole her residents’ government benefits. She used these ill-gotten funds to pay for her luxurious lifestyle and personal expenses. (Because they think the government owes them something.)
Jones (who was no spring chicken herself) operated Jones & Jones, an assisted living facility that took care of elderly and incapacitated adults. (I wonder who the other Jones was.) She served as a representative payee for residents that were incapable of managing their own funds. (Just so you know, representative payees are required to use Social Security benefits to take care of beneficiary’s needs, such as food, clothing, housing, and medical care.)
As a result of her illegal actions, Jones received a steady stream of state and federal benefit payments on their behalf. (Unfortunately, while she was stealing from her residents, they were living in squalor. This is a classic example of elder abuse, for sure.)
Court documents show that Jones stole more than $800,000 of her residents’ benefits between December 2015 and the spring of 2019, when the facility was closed following state and federal audits. (Apparently, she lied to her auditors about deficiencies that were deemed dangerous to her residents’ health and safety.)
Jones took advantage of her victims for selfish reasons. Afterall, she had to pay off some debts, take a few trips, and gamble away others’ money in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. (A fraudsters ‘gotta do what a fraudsters ‘gotta do if you know what I mean.)
Jones pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud for diverting $800,000 in federal state benefits that were supposed to pay for the elderly residents’ care. She is facing a maximum of 10 years when sentenced in January 2022. (What a way to spend your ”Golden Years.”)
Today’s Fraud of the Day comes from an article, ”Ex-owner of assisted living facility pleads guilty to fraud,” published by AP News on September 15, 2021.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The former owner of a Richmond assisted living facility pleaded guilty Wednesday to health care fraud after spending more than $800,000 meant for residents’ care on travel, gambling expenses and personal debts, federal prosecutors said.
Mable Jones, 78, owned and operated Jones & Jones, an assisted living facility for elderly and incapacitated adults, according to court documents. As a representative payee for residents who were legally incapable of managing their own funds, she regularly received state and federal benefit payments on their behalf.
