A Pinellas County woman was arrested for exploiting a Senior Citizen out of thousands of dollars. Anne Marie Barnes was arrested after an investigation by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit’s Patient Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Team, acting on information received from a Medicaid provider. The investigation revealed that Barnes, who is related to the elderly person, was responsible for handling the relative’s financial affairs and had access to the elderly relative’s financial accounts. Barnes misappropriated the elderly relative’s funds for purposes other than the relative’s benefit in excess of $8,500.
Barnes is charged with one count of exploitation of an elderly person, a third-degree felony, and faces up to five years in prison and more than $13,000 in fines and restitution. The State Attorney’s Office for the Sixth Judicial Circuit will prosecute this case. In reference to the case, Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “This woman, who was entrusted with her own relative’s care and finances, abused that power to pad her own pockets. I’m disgusted, and I’m proud of my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for their hard work in bringing this criminal to justice.”
If you believe that you or one of your relatives has been a victim of elder exploitation, please call our law office for a complimentary consultation. We can be reached at (800) 718-1422.