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CLEARFIELD — A Clearfield man has been found guilty of stealing from intellectually disabled residents living in group homes he oversaw.
Prosecutors say Jordan Jeffrey Jack, 29, used his employment as an area director with Chrysalis, an organization serving intellectually disabled adults, to steal from clients' meager incomes to make personal purchases.
"(Jack) stole from disabled clients so he could buy luxury items like a trip to Vegas, a Justin Timberlake concert and nearly $400 in tennis shoes," assistant attorney general Kaye Lynn Wootton said.
Chrysalis' services include a money management system to collect clients' Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps and housing assistance income, and use it to pay expenses such as rent and utilities on their behalf, providing them with a financial statement each month showing where the money went, according to charges filed in October in 2nd District Court.
Jack made personal purchases exceeding $10,000 from the company's general client fund between April 2012 and January 2014, "reproducing fraudulent receipts and representative payee statements and submitting 'corrected statements' in an attempt to hide the discrepancies," charges state.
Chrysalis president and CEO Marc Christensen noted Thursday that the fraud was detected by the company's own auditing protocols.
"Our internal controls actually discovered that (Jack) was stealing from some of the clients in Chrysalis," Christensen said. "We reported to the police as soon as we found out, and then we worked with the attorney general's office to prosecute the case. We're pleased that justice was served."
Jack had worked for Chrysalis for about three years when the discrepancies came to light, Christensen said.
"We made sure all the victims were whole immediately upon finding out. We'll be working with the prosecutor and (Department of) Corrections to, hopefully, get reimbursed through restitution," he said.
In light of the fraud, Chrysalis will remain vigilant against any attempted exploitation, Christensen said.
(Jack) stole from disabled clients so he could buy luxury items like a trip to Vegas, a Justin Timberlake concert and nearly $400 in tennis shoes.
–Kaye Lynn Wootton, assistant attorney general
"Our role is to help protect folks and support people with disabilities," he said. "If one of our employees is doing something contrary to that, that's not tolerated, and we'll work with police and help with the prosecution to the fullest extent of the law."
Jack was found guilty in a bench trial Tuesday of one count of communications fraud, a second-degree felony; seven counts of exploitation of a vulnerable adult, all third-degree felonies; and one count of theft by deception, a class B misdemeanor.
Jack will be sentenced Oct. 7.
"Because of their disability, none of the victims were able to testify in court. They were completely unaware that a caretaker entrusted with their money was stealing from them," said Robert Steed, director of the state's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, which prosecutes cases of neglect, abuse and exploitation of individuals who receive care in residential facilities.
Adina Zahradnikova, executive director of the Disability Law Center, expressed sadness Thursday at news of the fraud. The Disability Law Center, she said, is committed to helping people with disabilities to understand and protect their rights.
"Over the past year, we have given numerous presentations across the state to help individuals recognize the signs of abuse and neglect, including financial exploitation. Our advocates have worked hard to train both individuals and provider staff, that people with disabilities have the right to see where their money is going and ask questions," Zahradnikova said.
"New Medicaid regulations also require service providers to help clients control their own resources. This should include steps such as reviewing account balances and discussing personal finances. We are hopeful these measures will provide additional protections to people with disabilities and help to prevent such incidents in the future," she said.
