Woman Accused Of Abusing Special Needs Son Charged In 2nd Medicaid Fraud Case
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) –A woman accused of Medicaid fraud and the abuse of her special needs son is facing charges in a second fraud case.
On Tuesday, Vonda Brown, 44, was charged with three counts of Medicaid fraud, two counts of theft by deception and one count of forgery.
According to the Attorney General's Office, the new charges stem from her time as an independent personal care attendant in 2013.
Brown was caring for her brother under the Attendant Care Waiver Program and allegedly billed for services through August of 2013.
However, her brother had moved to Virginia in May. Brown was paid for 306 hours of care after he moved away.
Further investigation revealed Brown was paid for 238 hours of inflated time even before her brother moved.
Brown also allegedly forged her brother's signature on the time sheets.
In all, Brown received about $2,000 for the fraudulently billed hours.
She is scheduled to appear in court on these new charges on June 30.
Previously, Brown was charged in the alleged abuse of her special needs son in 2014.
Her 24-year-old son, Dyrue McGee, was taken to Ohio Valley Hospital to be treated for a severe burn to his right hand. It was a burn that doctors say wasn't consistent with his mother's story of how it got there.
Investigators say Brown allegedly put her son's hand in hot liquid causing the burn that required 58 days of hospitalization.
Doctors say he showed up weighing just 58 pounds and he was screaming to be fed.
According to the criminal complaint, a doctor told police that McGee's malnutrition was evidence of a chronic constant abuse situation. McGee has been placed in protective custody.
McGee received assistance through the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services for a caregiver and his mother helped to coordinate those services.
The caregiver, 45-year-old Armando Navarro, has been charged in the case too.
Police allege that Mr. Navarro received payments for 18 days of work, in which he didn't work. Navarro and Brown are accused of faking the time sheets for those days, all days in which McGee was in the hospital being treated for his burns.
Navarro received more than $2,000 for those "fake days" of work. He claims he still did some work around the house.
In that case, Brown is facing charges of aggravated assault, Medicaid fraud and conspiracy.
Navarro has been charged with Medicaid fraud and theft by deception.
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter