On May 4, 2020, Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit together with the Tarpon Springs Police Department arrested a Pasco County resident for exploiting both of his parents under the defendant’s care. Ronald Rose, Jr., 48, withdrew thousands of dollars from his relatives’ bank accounts without approval to spend on personal expenses such as rent, vehicle payments and phone services.
Acting on information received from a Medicaid provider, the Attorney General’s MFCU Patient Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation Team began investigating the defendant for misuse of patient funds. The investigation revealed that Rose embezzled from the accounts of his late father, a 69-year-old man who suffered from dementia, and his 77-year-old mother, who is blind, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the Florida Attorney General’s Office. The son took a total of $71,642 from his parents’ accounts, the warrant said, and took out a $19,002 loan in his mother’s name without her knowledge. Rose is being held in the Pinellas County jail without bail.
The defendant had power of attorney over his father and was supposed to be helping his mother with her finances, the warrant said, when the fraudulent transactions took place from 2016 to 2018. Ronald Rose Jr. was arrested on two counts of exploitation of the elderly, a third-degree felony, one count of fraudulent use of personal identification information, a second-degree felony, and violating his probation in Hillsborough County.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “My office is committed to protecting seniors. Older Floridians should not have to worry about being taken advantage of by those entrusted with their care. Thank you, to my MFCU team, for stopping this unconscionable behavior and I look forward to my Office of Statewide Prosecution now holding the defendant responsible for these crimes.”
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.