December 10, 2010
Media Contact: Jenn Meale
Phone: (850) 245-0150
Marion County Woman Arrested for Grand Theft, Medicaid Fraud
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that a Marion County woman has been taken into custody on charges of grand theft and Medicaid fraud. Reawattie Sugrim, owner, operator, and administrator of V&H Care Assisted Living Facility, was arrested by law enforcement officers with the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, with the assistance of the Marion 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 (DCF), Adult Protective Services (APS). Investigators determined that Reawattie Sugrim, 42, obtained and used over $4,000 of a disabled adult’s money for purposes other than his benefit. Additionally, between December 2009 and March 2010, even though the disabled adult no longer resided at her facility, Sugrim billed and was paid for services she did not render.
Reawattie Sugrim has been charged with one count of grand theft and one count of Medicaid fraud, both third-degree felonies. If convicted, she faces up to ten years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office for the Fifth Judicial Circuit.
The PANE Team plays a key role in detecting abuse and neglect of elderly and disabled adults, helping to ensure that efficient and effective health care is being provided.