Grand jury charges fraud Shamokin woman indicted for health-care 'scheme'

WILLIAMSPORT - A Shamokin woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges she illegally obtained more than $17,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Aging (PDA) Waiver Program.

The indictment against Bonnie Maliszewski, of 404 E. Dewart St., was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Williamsport. She is charged with health-care fraud and conspiracy to commit health-care fraud for offenses that allegedly occurred between Oct. 4, 2007, and Thursday.

She is accused of executing a scheme to defraud the waiver program, which is administered through the Jewish Employment and Vocational Services (JEVS). She obtained $17,409.32 for serving as a personal assistant through JEVS for an 86-year-old Mount Carmel resident even though she never performed any personal assistant services, the federal government charges.

The waiver program provides home and community-based services and funding to people 60 years of age and older who have been determined to be clinically eligible for nursing facility placement. The program provides social

services, including personal care services, home health services and home-delivered meals to enable eligible people to remain in their homes rather than being admitted to long-term care nursing facilities.

The program is jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the state.

JEVS is a private, nonprofit organization based in Philadelphia that administers social services programs in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Ohio. The services include home personal assistance to participants known as "consumers/employers" through personal assistants hired, screened and compensated by JEVS with PDA Waiver Program funds.

JEVS submits claims for reimbursement to the PDA Waiver Program on behalf of consumers or employers for services provided by personal assistants and issues checks to pay personal assistants.

The indictment says Maliszewski fraudulently executed, signed and dated in her own name an application for employment as a personal assistant, a personal assistance services agreement and other related paperwork and documents. She also is accused of fraudulently submitting an IRS form (W-4), a Department of Homeland Security employment eligibility verification form, Pennsylvania State Police request for a criminal record check and copies of her Social Security Administration card and Pennsylvania driver's license to JEVS in connection with the application for employment as a personal assistant for the elderly citizen.

The indictment also accuses Maliszewski of signing fraudulent, handwritten time sheets in her name to JEVS for personal assistance services purportedly performed by her on behalf of the 86-year-old Mount Carmel resident. But Maliszewski never actually performed the services, according to the indictment.

As a result of submitting the fraudulent time sheet information, Maliszewski received checks issued by JEVS and funded through the PDA Waiver Program.

After receiving the JEVS checks, Maliszewski endorsed and cashed the checks at FNB Bank, and also deposited a few of the checks in an account she maintained at the bank.

After cashing the checks, the indictment states, Maliszewski provided substantially all of the proceeds to a person known to the grand jury, but not identified in court documents. The same unidentified person and others known to the grand jury allegedly conspired with Maliszewski to use the defendant's identity in the scheme.

The indictment did not indicate if the other people involved in the scheme have been charged in the investigation.