In Chicago, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging a former nursing home employee with seven counts of wire fraud.
Alisha Richardson allegedly conducted a scheme to defraud the nursing home she worked for by falsifying records to pay individuals who did not work at the facility. After this, Richardson allegedly logged false hours for these created employees, prompting the nursing home to issue checks. According to the indictment the ghost employees cashed the checks and shared the profits with Richardson.
The scheme became more elaborate when it was discovered Richardson allegedly created false records to make it appear as though the ghost employees were Certified Nursing Assistants. Adding to the list of crimes, the indictment alleges Richardson also forged signatures on checks issued to the ghost employees before depositing these checks into her personal bank account. In total, the nursing home paid out over $100,000 for work not performed.
Stories such as spotlight how sophisticated current pay fraud schemes are becoming. The creation of false employees, false records, and issuance of false checks, all alleged to have been conducted by one individual. With the increasing capabilities of technology and its integration into the workplace, employers must work to stay knowledgeable about these advancements in order to detect and, hopefully prevent. embezzlement.
Former Nursing Home Worker Charged with Wire Fraud in “Ghost” Employee Fraud Scheme. (2023, October 13). https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-nursing-home-worker-charged-wire-fraud-ghost-employee-fraud-scheme
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