FREEPORT BOARDING HOME BOOKKEEPER GUILTY OF THEFT FROM MAINECARE

June 21, 2004

JUNE 21, 2004

MARCI A. ALEXANDER, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL, 207-626-8555

 

            Attorney General Steven Rowe announced today that Robin E. Smith, 39, of Freeport, the bookkeeper of McCarthy’s Boarding Home in Freeport, pled guilty Friday to three counts of theft by deception (two counts class D, one count class E).  The court sentenced Smith to 60 days in jail with all but 15 days suspended, one year of probation, full repayment of restitution to the MaineCare program of $4, 534, and a $1,000.00 fine. 

            Smith used her position of trust as bookkeeper of McCarthy’s Boarding home to intentionally cause her own personal expenses for clothing and other services to be re-reimbursed by the MaineCare Program through the “cost report” process.  Regulators call this conduct “cost report fraud.”  The Maine Department of Human Services uncovered the fraud in an audit and referred it for investigation to the Healthcare Crimes Unit of the Attorney General’s Office.

            Detectives Christine Baker and Richard Stocker investigated the case for the State.

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