Nov 19, 2009 8:58 pm US/Pacific
Sac County Nets 12 Arrests For In-Home Care Fraud
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ―
Twelve people are under arrest for working the system. Combined, they allegedly defrauded Sacramento County taxpayers out of $350,000.
All of the suspects are connected in one way or another with Sacramento's In-Home Support Services. They are people who are supposed to either be in desperate need of help, or are offering to provide it.
The top prosecutor is Sacramento County. The county teetering on financial collapse has found some criminals trying to bilk the government of the little it has left.
The brand new in-home supportive services task force is already making arrests. Among them is Frances Saldana, who claimed she cared for a woman who was already deceased. This cost taxpayers more than $5,500.
Douglas Dixon is accused of allegedly double-dipping as a care provider and recipient, which cost taxpayers more than $13,000.
Mary Kirkwood, with an allegedly similar scheme, was arrested for allegedly stealing funds to the tune of $31,000.
In-home care fraud is believed to cost California millions of dollars a year. The governor turned the issue into a debate that caused gridlock during state budget negotiations this year.
Sacramento County has more reports of this type of fraud than any other county in the state.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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