September 17, 2009
Media Contact: Jenn Meale
Phone: (850) 245-0150
Escambia County Adult Family Care Home Owner Arrested For Fraud
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced the arrest of the owner of an adult family care home in Pensacola. Novella Edwards was taken into custody on charges that she knowingly billed the Florida Medicaid program for caring for residents even though she was not operating a licensed assisted living facility. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the arrest.
Edwards, 68, was licensed to operate an adult family care home; however, investigators discovered that Edwards had another home, just blocks away, unbeknownst to state regulators. The other facility had additional residents who were being supervised by a renter who told investigators that she prepared meals, cleaned, and handled the laundry for the residents. She further indicated she had ensured each resident took their medications daily.
The scheme was uncovered when the Attorney General’s Office was conducting a routine check of the adult family care home and discovered there were more medical files than residents. The files matched Medicaid recipients for whom Edwards was billing the Medicaid program, although not all of the residents were at the family care home.
Edwards was booked into the Escambia County Jail under one count of Medicaid fraud and one count of operating an assisted living facility without a license. Edwards could face up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine for each count, if convicted. The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office under the authority of the State Attorney’s Office for the First Judicial Circuit.