Two women are accused by police of taking $45,000 in payments from the state Department of Human Services for work they didn’t do while acting as caregivers for an Avonmore man, according to agents from the Attorney General’s office.
Joan L. Foley, 64, of Avonmore, and her daughter Christie Lee Copper, 32, of Bell Township, were arrested Monday on felony charges of theft by deception, conspiracy and submitting false information. They are free on $25,000 unsecured bail each.
The pair served as personal care assistants through the state’s attendant care program which allows someone to be paid for providing another person with daily living help. Personal care attendants submit time sheets that are approved by the person for whom they provide care and attendants are paid through state funding.
Agents said Foley and Copper both claimed they worked about 40 hours per week. The women told investigators they overstated the number of hours submitted to the state, according to court papers.
Copper is accused of taking $20,500 in extra payments between 2016 and February, agents said. She allegedly claimed to be working during a week in June 2016 when the man was hospitalized.
Foley pocketed $25,000 between 2018 and June, according to court papers. Foley told investigators she paid two people cash to care for the man while she was working at another job.
Both admitted to the thefts during interviews with agents, according to court papers. The hourly rate was $11.91. Investigators calculated the amounts based on the number of hours both women said they actually worked per week.
Neither suspect had an attorney listed in online court records. Phone numbers for them could not be located. Preliminary hearings are set for Aug. 3.
