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TRENTON - Attorney General
Paula T. Dow and Criminal Justice Director
Stephen J. Taylor announced that a Camden
County man has been indicted for allegedly
stealing funds from his mother that were
designated for the nursing home in which
she resided.
According to Acting Insurance
Fraud Prosecutor Riza Dagli, Norris Pratt,
73, of Camden, was charged on Thursday (Feb.
25) with third-degree theft by unlawful
taking.
The Camden County grand
jury indictment alleges that between June
1 and Oct. 31, 2008, Pratt took unlawful
control of the income of his elderly mother,
who is a Medicaid recipient, and used the
money for his own purposes. According to
the indictment, Pratt allegedly failed to
remit his mother’s entire income to
the nursing care facility in which she resided.
As a condition of continued Medicaid eligibility,
this income, minus a small personal needs
allowance, must be paid to the facility
to partially cover the cost of the mother’s
ongoing care. An investigation revealed
that during the time in question, Pratt
allegedly failed to remit more than $5,000
that was owed to the facility, and instead,
allegedly used the money for his own purposes.
Detective Anthony Iannice
and Deputy Attorney General William Hoyman
were assigned to the investigation. Deputy
Attorney General Hoyman presented the case
to the grand jury.
The indictment is merely an accusation and
the defendant is presumed innocent until
proven guilty. Third-degree crimes carry
a maximum sentence of five years in state
prison and a criminal fine of $15,000.
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