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Former Physical Therapist Assistant Convicted
May 4, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 5, 2009
FORMER PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANT CONVICTED OF AGGRAVATED FORGERY, THEFT AND UNLICENSED PRACTICE OF PHYSICAL THERAPY
Contact: Lisa Bogue, Assistant Attorney General 207-626-8555
AUGUSTA- Attorney General Janet T. Mills announced today that Brent Dellarma pleaded guilty and was sentenced for Aggravated Forgery, two counts of Theft by Deception, and Unlicensed Practice of Physical Therapy. Brent Dellarma held a physical therapy assistant license and began working at the Sandy River Center owned by Genesis HealthCare in Farmington in January 2007. Six months later he presented a fictitious license to the facility claiming he had obtained licensure as a Physical Therapist. He was then employed as a Physical Therapist until April 8, 2008 when the facility learned that he was not in fact licensed.
Dellarma was sentenced today in Franklin County Superior Court on the Class B felony charge of Aggravated Forgery charge to three years imprisonment with all but five months suspended, and four years of probation. The Court imposed a consecutive three years imprisonment all suspended, with four years of probation for one count of a Class B felony of Theft by Deception. He received concurrent sentences on the remaining two charges of Theft by Deception and Unlicensed Practice of Physical Therapy.
In addition, Dellarma was ordered to pay $40,000 restitution to Genesis HealthCare which had paid Dellarma increased compensation as a Physical Therapist and which had repaid the MaineCare and Medicare programs for improper billings related to unlicensed services performed by him. No allegations of patient harm arose during the investigation.
Attorney General Mills said, ?Appropriately licensed health care workers are critically important to protecting the lives and health of Maine people, and for health care institutions to appropriately bill for their services. Misrepresenting a license harms consumers, health care institutions, and taxpayers. It is a crime that my office will diligently prosecute.?
The case was investigated by Detective Jeffrey Wrigley of the Maine Office of Attorney General?s Healthcare Crimes Unit. Attorney General Mills praises Assistant Attorney General Lisa R. Bogue for her excellent work on this case.
