COUNTY FRAUD TEAM ATTACKS SHADY HOME CARE SCHEMES.

Byline: TROY ANDERSON Staff Writer

In-home care workers paid to look after the dead. Homeless men and women recruited to collect government checks that don't belong to them. Con men using one ID to receive medical payments and another to provide care to themselves for even more money.

Los Angeles County investigators have uncovered these and other fraudulent schemes in recent weeks that prosecutors say are costing California taxpayers millions of dollars a year.

A newly created home care fraud team has made nearly two dozen arrests and carried out a number of search warrants in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita, Antelope and San Gabriel valleys, said James Baker, assistant head deputy district attorney of the Welfare Fraud Division.

Last week, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Castaic resident Rita Musallam, 42, on two counts of grand theft, Baker said. .

``She was billing the state to work as an in-home care worker while her mother was deceased,'' Baker said. ``She was also continuing to receive Supplemental Security Income, which is a federal and state subsidy for disabled people, for her deceased mother.''

``We've seen a proliferation of people using double identities, signing up homeless people and others to be paid for (in-home) care,'' Baker said Tuesday. ``Some are even using two IDs to take care of themselves. Under one ID, they are recipients of care and under another ID they are providing care to themselves.''

The arrests follow a similar crackdown earlier this year on child-care fraud scams that prosecutors estimate are costing taxpayers as much as $1.5 billion annually.

``The two big scams involve child care fraud and In-Home Supportive Services where providers are paid to care for the elderly and disabled,'' said James Cosper, head deputy district attorney of the Welfare Fraud Division. ``We are finding a lot of cases where payments continue to be made after the person has died.''

IHSS is a statewide program designed to provide in-home care for the elderly and disabled to keep them out of expensive long-term care facilities. Statewide, more than 375,000 people receive services provided by 350,000 in-home care workers.

In the county, the $291 million annual program supports about 130,000 in-home care workers who provide care to about 150,000 disabled and elderly people.

In-home workers have gained notoriety in the last two decades for their public demonstrations and unfailing local, state and national campaigns to obtain higher wages and health care benefits. The campaigns, sometimes attended by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, have been described as some of the largest union victories in decades.

Since 1987, county in-home care workers have seen their wages rise from $3.75 to $8.45 an hour and have obtained health and dental insurance. In 2002, the union was in the spotlight after criticizing the Board of Supervisors for voting in secret to kill a ballot initiative intended to raise their wages.

Tyrone Freeman, president of Service Employees International Union, Local 434B, which represents 130,000 in-home care workers in the county, said he supports the prosecution of workers and recipients who commit fraud.

``I strongly believe (these cases) do not reflect the overwhelming amount of providers who care for those they care for, follow the rules, work hard and should earn decent pay for the work they do,'' Freeman said.

The program is administered by welfare departments in each county. On Monday, the Board of Supervisors allocated $1.1 million to allow the District Attorney's Office to add six investigators to address growing welfare fraud problems in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita, Antelope and San Gabriel valleys.

Department of Public Social Services Director Bryce Yokomizo said the department is using a computerized system that matches death certificates with people who are receiving IHSS benefits and has found a number of cases where in-home care workers continue to collect pay to care for people who have died.

``We have particular concerns about the north county right now,'' DPSS Director Bryce Yokomizo said. ``We're using these computerized death matches to make sure we're not providing services to people who have passed away. That's something we really want to keep a close watch on.''

Baker said the program is ripe for abuse because the recipients of the services are allowed to choose their own in-home care providers with the state issuing the checks to providers.

In one of the largest IHSS fraud cases involving losses of $272,000, Los Angeles resident John Thymes, 66; his wife Shirley Thymes, 57; and their daughter, Jermone Thymes, 36, were arraigned Tuesday on charges of grand theft, conspiracy and perjury, Baker said.

``Part of the fraud was using the identity of a relative -- Shaun Thymes -- who was in prison in Ohio as a care provider,'' Baker said. ``Also, one of the family members, John Thymes, created a false identity of John Dacaen and for years was being paid to care for his brother, Willie Thymes, who we found is living in Louisiana.

``John Thymes under his true name was a recipient of care with other relatives providing care for him. Surveillance shows that he was not really disabled.''

Also Tuesday, El Monte residents Jia He Zheng, 48, and his wife, Daisy Consolacion, 37, were arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit grand theft and welfare fraud in a case involving losses of $150,000.

They provided care for many recipients and allegedly gave then kickbacks for signing the time sheets, Baker said.

``Daisy, his wife, reported him out of the home and collected welfare for the family while he was in fact employed under the name of Paul Zheng,'' Baker said. ``She was also an IHSS provider.''

troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com

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