July 13, 2010 Media Contact: Jenn Meale Phone: (850) 245-0150

en Español

Print Version

Tweet

TALLAHASSEE, FL - Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that a Broward County man is in custody on charges that he battered a disabled adult. Rickardo Miller, 29, was formerly employed by South Florida Evaluation and Treatment Center as a security guard. He was arrested today by law enforcement officers with the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit with assistance from the Miami-Dade Police Department.

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. While employed by the center in Florida City, Miller was observed striking one of the residents on the back of the head. The incident was recorded on video, and Miller was subsequently terminated after an internal investigation at the facility.

Miller is being held at the Miami-Dade County Jail and will be charged with one count of battery on a disabled adult, a third-degree felony. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. The case will be prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney for the 11th Judicial Circuit.

The PANE Project plays a key role in detecting abuse and neglect of elderly and disabled patients, helping to ensure that efficient and effective health care is being provided. The PANE team operates statewide under the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.