Former Assisted Living Caregiver Sentenced for Theft from Elderly Resident

BALTIMORE, MD ( August 26, 2009) - Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that former caregiver Kera Pamela Heath was sentenced to 36 days in jail for stealing $1,000 from an elderly woman in her care. Baltimore County District Court Judge Sally Chester sentenced Heath, 26, of the 4100 block of Mountwood Road, Baltimore to 18 months incarceration, suspending all but 36 days. Judge Chester also placed Heath on 18 months unsupervised probation, and ordered her to pay restitution and to refrain from providing direct care to vulnerable adults for the probation period.

Heath was a paid caregiver at Caritas House, an assisted living facility located in the 3300 block of Benson Avenue in Baltimore City. The victim was an 81-year old woman who lived at Caritas House. Heath stole a check that was sent to the assisted living resident, forged the resident’s name on the check and deposited the check into her personal bank account in Baltimore County.

This case was prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit based on a referral directly from Caritas House Assisted Living Facility. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has authority to investigate and prosecute abuse and neglect of vulnerable adults in facilities that receive Medicaid funds, in group homes that provide services to the developmentally disabled, and in assisted living facilities across the State of Maryland.