Misappropriation of Resident Funds by Staff Through Private Travel Arrangement
Penalty
Summary
A staff member engaged in misappropriation of a resident’s funds by entering into a private financial arrangement for travel assistance. The cognitively intact resident, with a BIMS score of 15 and able to make his own decisions, reported that after becoming friendly with the staff member, the staff member offered to assist with travel to another city for medical appointments in exchange for $1000 plus expenses. Text messages on the resident’s phone showed ongoing discussions between the resident and the staff member about payment for services, hotel, food, airline tickets, and a rental car, and the staff member requested advance payment due to financial difficulties. The resident agreed to pay half of the $1000 fee in advance and wrote a personal check for $500 to the staff member, which was cashed. The deficiency occurred despite the staff member having previously completed education on professional boundaries and on abuse, neglect, misappropriation of funds, and abuse reporting. The staff member’s acceptance of $500 from the resident for personal services, as evidenced by the cashed check and corroborating text messages, constituted misappropriation of resident funds. The resident later expressed regret about the payment and a desire to get his money back and involve law enforcement, indicating that the financial transaction was not resolved as the resident had expected.
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