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TALLAHASSEE, FL – Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced a Palm Beach county woman has been arrested for stealing over $2,300 from an elderly victim under her care. Natasha Petit-Homme was arrested this morning by law enforcement officers with the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit with assistance from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

The arrest resulted from an investigation by the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit's Patient Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation (PANE) team, acting on information received from the Department of Children and Families. The victim was an elderly resident of Woodlake Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, located in West Palm Beach, where Petit-Homme, 32, was employed as an admissions clerk.

While working at the facility, Petit-Homme gained access to the victim’s checkbook, wrote herself a check totaling $2,341, and deposited the funds into her personal checking account. The victim did not give Petit-Homme permission to write or cash the check nor did Petit-Homme have any legal authority to do so.

Petit-Homme will be booked into the Palm Beach County Jail and is charged with one count of exploitation of an elderly person, a third-degree felony. If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. The case will be prosecuted by the Palm Beach County Office of State Attorney, Special Prosecution Unit, Economic Crimes Section.

The Attorney General’s PANE Project plays a key role in detecting abuse, neglect and exploitation of elderly and disabled patients, helping to ensure that efficient and effective health care is being provided.