Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin today announced that Caren Thompson, age 49, with a last known address of 30 Park Street, Blackstone, MA, was arraigned in Providence Superior Court on Friday, August 23, 2013, on one count of wrongful conversion over $100 by a government employee. Thompson was released on $10,000 personal recognizance bail and is scheduled for a pre trial conference on October 16, 2013.
It is alleged that on or about October 2, 2012, Thompson, who was employed as a community living aid at the Rogler Farm Home, a state-operated facility managed by Zambarano Hospital, a division of the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals (BHDDH), converted approximately $393 from the personal needs accounts of two male residents for the purchase of women's clothing for her own use.
The matter was referred to the Office's Medicaid Fraud Control and Patient Abuse Unit by BHDDH.
The Medicaid Fraud Control and Patient Abuse Unit enforces the laws pertaining to fraud in the state Medicaid program and prosecutes cases of abuse, neglect or mistreatment of patients in all state healthcare facilities. The Unit prosecutes criminal activity, pursues civil remedies where appropriate and participates with federal and state authorities in a variety of inter-agency investigations and administrative proceedings. Unit prosecutors, auditors, investigators and health care professionals employ a multi-disciplinary approach to combat health care fraud and patient abuse.