Attorney General Bill McCollum News Release
October 15, 2007
Media Contact: Sandi Copes
Phone: (850) 245-0150
Operator of Escambia Adult Care Facility Arrested
~ Owner ran the home like an assisted living facility, but without a license ~
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that the owner of an Escambia County adult care home was arrested for operating her facility without a license. Peggy Jones was taken into custody based on allegations that she had been operating her facility for over a year without acquiring the necessary licensing for the services she was rendering. The arrest was carried out by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit with assistance from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
“Licensing any type of care facility ensures that qualified people are entrusted with caring for our seniors or disabled citizens,” said McCollum. “Without the appropriate credentials, unlicensed operators could be putting our loved ones at risk.”
During interviews with Medicaid Fraud investigators, Jones showed the authorities the on-premises cabinet in which she kept the drugs she administers to her residents. She acknowledged providing three residents with meals and disbursing their monthly stipend for spending. These activities are in character with an assisted living facility.
Jones admitted that she did not have a license to operate her business as an assisted living facility, a boarding house or an adult family care home. A check by Medicaid Fraud investigators confirmed Jones’ statements about the failure to hold proper licensing. Jones told investigators that she had attempted to obtain licenses a year prior, but failed a health inspection.
Jones was booked into the Escambia County jail under one count of operating an unlicensed assisted living facility. If convicted, she could receive up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. The case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office for the First Judicial Circuit.